Of Birthdays and Siblings
by Yemi Hikari
Summary: Hitsugaya Toshiro always believed that he wasn't born in Soul Society because of his memories. However, when a female around his age shows up claiming to have the same birthday as him, he finds his world turned upside down. He also finds himself on the run with her as he is not sure how Soul Society will react to finding out their unique bloodline. (NaNoWriMo)
1. Office Problems

_Disclaimer – I do not own Bleach. This fanfic is being written for NaNoWriMo, so if you find me slacking off on my other stories, this is likely why. If things go well each day, I should be writing sixteen hundred words a day for this. I'm also working with the crack theory that Gin + Ran = Toshiro & Bambietta, which makes up for one really messed up family. Who knows if I'll make fifty thousand or not. Contains spoilers for chapter 514. This is also AU to the final arc._

_Since this is a NaNoWriMo project and there is a chance that people not familiar with the Bleach fandom will read it, here is a brief synopsis of the Bleach fandom. The story revolves around Kurosaki Ichigo, a fifteen year old who can see spirits. He ends up becoming a Soul Reaper who stops Hollows from eating spirits and helps the spirits pass on. Rukia, whom he stole his powers from was almost executed by Soul Society, the place that spirits end up going._

_The shinigami happens to be run by the Gotei Thirteen, which is headed up by thirteen captains and their subordinates. Hitsugaya Toshiro is the child genius who happens to be the youngest captain ever. He believes that he died on a plain of ice and his zampaktuo (his soul blade) is an ice dragon. Matsumoto Rangiku is his fukutaicho and Ichimaru Gin is the former traitor turned captain. It is unknown if he is dead or not._

_The Vandenreich are Quincy, who are supposed to have died out a long time ago. Bambietta is one of their members and Juhabach is the leader. Presumably the difference between Quincy and Shinigami is the fact that Shinigami pass Hollows on while the Quincy destroy them and remove them from the cycle of rebirth. They are currently attacking Soul Society in the Manga, but there is reference to peace and whether or not they are the real enemy._

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
**~**_Office Problems~_**

A soft and delicate snow fell outside of the tenth division office as Toshiro worked on the many stacks of paper work. Tomorrow was guaranteed to be a long day, not to mention a day he honestly wasn't looking forward too. A warm sensation suddenly touched his cold reiatsu and he glanced up in time to see his fukutaicho coming into the room with various packages.

His bright teal eyes glanced up, but he didn't say anything as she began to unpack the Christmas decorations. Glancing back down at his work, he found himself letting out a sigh at how much he had left to do. This caught the attention of his fukutaicho, who suddenly took the time to look up at him. "Taicho... are you all right?"

"Am I all right?" The preteen glanced up in irritation, wishing that puberty would finally kick in for him. "You're not doing any paper work again and have left me with all the work."

"I'll make a deal with you." A smile spread across Rangiku's face. She found herself heading over with a box of decorations. "If you do the decorating this year, I'll take the paper work."

The small taicho found himself suddenly grimacing. The idea of having to look at any of those sparkly green and red decorations any sooner then he had to was nauseating. The day that they were meant to celebrate was second on his least favorite days of the year as it reminded him that he came from nowhere and had no one prior to granny finding him, however she did find him. "No."

"Why not? Decorating for Christmas is a wonderful thing to do." Rangiku suddenly leaned over so that her face was near his and he could smell the peppermint on her breath. "You need to learn to have some fun. If you do, I'll take on some more of the paperwork. But until you do, having to do all the paper work is your punishment for not acting your age."

One white eyebrow suddenly twitched and Toshiro found himself wishing he could push her face away along with her nasty breath. He also found himself getting a good look at her chest area, which caused him to glance away from the woman. "Your breath stinks."

"But I haven't been drinking. I don't get the egg nog stuff until the twenty-forth anyways." The woman suddenly leaned forward and lay on the desk. "Hey, taicho... what do you want for your birthday."

The dreaded words finally came out of her mouth and he found himself letting out a deep sigh. "I don't want to hear about my birthday again Matsumoto. There is no point in celebrating."

"Excuse me!" Rangiku's voice suddenly rose in volume level slightly. "Birthdays so are important!"

"Why?" Toshiro glanced up and looked into her baby blue eyes with his bright teal ones, wondering if she would in fact give him an answer.

"Why?" The busty female startled, before pulling back from him slightly, allowing him to be free of the candy cane breath he disliked so much.

"See... you can't give me an answer. Unless you are fortunate to know your real birthday, they have no meaning to them." Toshiro lifted up a piece of paper to work on next, only to flinch when Rangiku slammed her hands down. He looked up in time to see that she was quite angry.

"That _so_ isn't true." Rangiku glared at him, before folding her arms across her chest and pulling back. "Did you ever stop and think that someone choose that as your birthday? The date has special meaning to someone out there, doesn't it?"

Another sigh came out of the boy's mouth and he found himself leaning on his arm. "Matsumoto... what kind of nonsense are you talking about now?"

"It isn't nonsense. Gin gave me..." The woman suddenly paused, realizing that she had brought up a subject she found herself leery to talk about.

"Why hold onto a date that someone whose deserted you and has forgotten all about you. If he is alive, why hasn't he returned?" The boy worked away at the paper work. "Please, I would rather avoid this subject matter."

"The subject of Ichimaru Gin, or the subject of you not wanting to celebrate your birthday?" Rangiku snapped the words out, causing him to suddenly pause and almost glance up. However, he found himself getting back to his work and choosing to ignore her. "Don't get me wrong here, but if he is dead he can't help coming back. If he isn't, he has to go through a trial and I would have to go through losing him that way."

"Soul Society has changed. He wouldn't be convicted as a traitor as he played both sides." Toshiro continued at a steady pace.

"How is he supposed to know that? How is anyone supposed to know something like that when they haven't been around like we have? You and I both know neither one of us expected such drastic things to occur. I hate to say this, but you're being a spoil sport about the whole thing. Someone gave you that birth date because they cared about you. Did you ever think that was the day your granny found you and took you in?"

Toshiro suddenly felt the muscles in his shoulder tighten. He stuck his brush back into the pot before turning to Rangiku and giving her a dark look, his teal eyes losing their brightness due to his anger flaring.

"Did you ever stop and think that day, even if it was the day she found me is the day my _parents_, the two people who are supposed to take care of you and love you in this world just so happened to abandon me? I'm sorry Matsumoto, but I can't take this as simply being and issue of someone caring enough for me because of that."

"Taicho... I..." The woman pulled back, her eyes glazing over slightly.

"I figure my parents got tired of the people around us commenting on how much of a freak I was, what with my hair and eye color being the way it was. So, they took me out into the snow during a storm and left me there to die. How else would I have such a vivid memory of dying that way? That's all I remember about my past Rangiku and I _really _don't want to remember anymore."

"But..."

Toshiro glanced up into her face, his voice calming slightly. "You aren't going to cry on me are you?"

"Why haven't you told anyone this before?" Rangiku's lip trembled.

"Because I didn't think anyone would care about it."

"But I do care. Your birthday is important to me because it means its one more year that I've been with you and proof that you're still alive."

Toshiro paused, before looking up at her, a rather sad look in his eyes. "I don't mind if you celebrate it, but I _really _don't want to celebrate it, or Christmas. It reminds me way to much of what I am missing."


	2. Night Terror

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
~****_Night Terror_**

The snow continued to fall outside and some people blamed it on his mood rather then it being a natural element. The fact so many thought of him as some sort of god or some kind of demon wasn't lost on him. When he grew up in the Rukongai he was referred to constantly as a demon or a monster by the other children as his rieatsu was off setting. He personally didn't know who he was, but everyone else was good at defining him.

Glancing up at the falling snow as he left the office, he found himself wishing he hadn't been so curt with Rangiku about celebrating his birthday. He found himself pulling his scarf closer to his mouth, wishing that it wasn't so cold. Ice and the cold was always a lonely element that he wished to do away with all together, but he honestly didn't know how to get rid of the icy shield that held in his feelings.

It was almost as if something was missing from his life, something he honestly couldn't place. In order to get to his quarters, he decided to take the short cut and cut across the court yard rather then taking the wooden paths around the outside. He set one small foot into the snow and heard a satisfying crunching sound as his foot crunched down on the ice crystals on the ground.

On the negative side of things, the snow got in between his sandal and his foot and soaked into the white sock. The sudden level of sheer coldness was a bit much and he pulled it back. Letting out a deep sigh, he stepped into the snow and hurried across. When he finally got to his quarters, he opened the door and slammed it shut, his small body shivering uncontrollably.

He stayed there for a few seconds, before flinging off his partially soaked clothing into the pile of clothes that he would have to get around to washing. His dragon zampaktuo suddenly spoke up in the back of his mind. "_If Matsumoto Rangiku saw you right now, she would throw a fit at the fact you aren't taking care of yourself._"

The boy choose to ignore the dragon and instead dove under the covers while he tried not to think about he fact it was approaching midnight and it was getting even closer to that dreaded day, He found himself curling up into a ball and wishing that he could sleep through tomorrow, despite the fact he knew otherwise.

His dragon wasn't content on letting him sleep and kept pestering him "_You know better then anyone that what Rangiku said to you was right._"

"_She was right about what?_" Toshiro found himself placing a hand over his head in order to placate the Dragon from telling him anything more.

"_Just think about it. Your birthday does have a meaning to it, whether you wish to believe it or not._"

"Shut up Hyorinmaru!" The boy snapped the words out. Two teal eyes blinked a couple of times upon realizing that he had said the words out loud. Taking a deep breath he found himself closing his eyes. "_I'm sorry Hyorinmaru._"

"_I know that you believe that you died upon a plain of ice, but I think I should remind you of the fact that your inner world __is__ a plain of ice. So how do you know for sure that you died on a plain of ice, rather then it being some other memory that you can't place?_"

"_Because... that would mean I have no memories of who I am. If I died on a plain of ice, then I am Hitsugaya Toshiro, captain of the tenth division. Everything is set in stone and I have something in my life I know is true and can't be taken away. Otherwise... without that knowledge..._"

"_You... dear child... dear young master... are not a demon and you are not a monster. You shouldn't think of yourself simply by the abilities you happen to loath, or the physical features you can't stand. You have a very warm heart, something that is not reflected by your inner world and that most people miss out on._"

"_You're likely the only one who sees it that way._" Toshiro let out another sigh and received no response despite the fact he knew Hyorinmaru had a long list of people who felt that the small taicho had a warm heart. Not giving the list instead forced him to think about everyone he knew as he drifted off to sleep.

He was asleep for only a short time when he heard the alarm go off announcing that some sort of intruder had entered Soul Society. He found himself not waking up right away, but instead found himself completely waken up by the sound of a wooden door splintering. He opened his teal eyes upon realizing that it was the door to his room.

"_How can the intruder have gotten here this fast?_" The small taicho tried pushing his body up in order to react.

"_You didn't fully wake up when the notice came. Everyone is likely wondering where you are, but they're also taking notice that you aren't there._"

The boy suddenly felt a pressure on top of him as the person crashed on top of him. "_Where's Matsumoto when you need her?_"

"_She's possibly out drinking._"

Whoever crashed into him was around his size and weight. He managed to squirm a bit before pushing the person up and off of him. He found himself blinking a couple of times before his cheeks began to flush up as he took in the stranger. The girl was dressed in white clothing and had dark hair. And as she turned to look at him, he found that her eyes were the same color as his.

The small taicho found his mouth suddenly opening and then closing, before blurting out the words, "Who are you?"


	3. Icy Boredom

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
~****_Icy Boredom~_**

If someone were to describe the place the Vandenreich lived, anyone listening would wonder how anyone could possibly live there. Every which way that a person looked they couldn't help but see ice covering the surface of everything, a rather permanent fixture to the landscape. Life didn't seem like it could survive

In this place was an ice palace, standing tall and firm against the backdrop, making it clear that someone at one time did in fact live in the vast, cold kingdom. Within the palace various people moved about their daily tasks. On top of this the temperature inside the palace wasn't anywhere near as cold as the weather outside.

No snow fell outside, leaving one to wonder how all of the ice happened to form. The voices of children echoed in one hall as they moved from their classroom in order to head home to their parents. A small figure sat on top of an upside down urn and watched the other children pass her by. A small hand reached up to brush back the dark curls that cascaded over her shoulders.

One of the male children with pale hair coloring stopped near by and spoke up. "What are you doing for your birthday tomorrow Bambietta?"

The girl found herself wrinkling her nose up at the boy. Her lip curled up as she found herself wanting to say something nasty to the boy. "_Why don't you go running home to your older sister only reason you are trying to butter me up is because of who I am and who my family is. That's pretty much what everyone does here._"

However, she held back her tongue and switched to smiling sweetly at the young man. "I don't know what grandfather and uncle have planned as of yet."

A few of the female students of various ages voiced the fact they were excited about her birthday before moving off. When they were gone, she found herself glaring at the group that had left. "You guys are the only ones who are excited about my birthday. It is pretty much the same thing every year."

The small figure hopped off the urn before placing her hand upon the icy wall, letting the strange reiatsu that was contained in the ice sooth her emotions. The place itself felt like family and thus she had never felt the need to leave and seek something else. Her bright teal eyes were closed shut and she took a deep breath, feeling the icy chill that came from actually touching the walls.

"Bambietta?" A man suddenly spoke up, startling her from her concentration. The girl stopped touching the wall and turned to look at a dark haired man. The man had a scar on his lip and his greenish blue eyes looked at her with concern. "Something bothering you?"

The girl frowned at him, before speaking up and rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't say something is bothering me. It is more along the lines of me being bored and wanting something fun to do, an actual challenge."

"Why don't you play with one of your peers?" the man asked, suddenly reaching out to ruffle her hair.

"I don't exactly get along with them, a fact you should know. I'm better at them at everything and I find the conversations they had boring." The girl reached up and pushed his hand away, her face twisting up in annoyance. She then said something which caused his own face to twist up. "If he was around I would actually have someone to talk to."

The man suddenly flinched, his hand held out to touch her head again. "You know that your mother and father, along with your brother are gone. There is nothing I can do about it."

An irritated sound came from her mouth and she started to storm off. "I don't see any point in celebrating my birthday when my second half isn't around. Everyone else has fun, but something feels like it is missing. It isn't as if you would understand how that feels, to have your second half not being there."

"You forgot that your father happens to be my twin," the man said. The girl turned to look at him for a few minutes, her eyes glazed over slightly. She forced her mouth into a smile for him, before turning to leave."

She soon found herself in her room, looking at the room papered in pink. Hearts were on every wall and the pillow she pulled towards her chest was soft and she buried her mouth in it as she stared at the wall. Her boredom continued to grow, and finally she flopped over onto her back as she stared at the ceiling.

"Mama and papa were taken away by Soul Society as was my brother." Her bright teal eyes suddenly narrowed and she found herself gritting her teeth together. "If Soul Society killed my brother, then perhaps I should pay them a visit for my birthday. This way I can celebrate with him for once, even though he is no longer around."

The small female pushed herself up, a smile spreading across her face. She swung her legs off of her bed and headed over to her closet to get dressed in day clothing. She then snapped the door closed and slipped out of her room, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. She slowly tiptoed past her uncles room and the room of Juhabach in order to not wake either one.

She then came to the throne room and the entrance of the gate. She glanced up and tugged slightly on her hat, a grin spreading across her face. "For once I'm going to celebrate my birthday the way that I want to. I'm going to celebrate with my nii-chan and I am going to make sure those shinigami are going to pay for sending him away."

The gate opened and she stepped through the door and started walking forward. She began to sing the birthday song and hummed it to herself as she walked along the path. The door opened and she found herself looking around the place, no one yet having noticed that a strange person had appeared. She would change this, but the first thing she did was say something. "Happy birthday Toto-chan."


	4. Crash Party

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
~**_**Crash Party~**_

"Happy birthday Toto-chan," Bambietta said to herself as she smiled at the old fashioned buildings. The next thing that happened was that the small female used hirenkyaku towards one of the building and she used her own physical strength to smash the wall, causing it to crumple. An alarm went off and she quickly moved away from the wall to another area.

The next place she found herself breaking up more stuff and disappearing as soon as she heard someone coming. She continued from place to place slowly destroying things as she moved along. The sound of her boots landed on the ground and she found herself spinning silently as she kicked another wall down.

Her furor ended up pausing when she suddenly found the moonlight shadowed by a towering figure. The small female paused before looking up at the figure, a frown spreading on her face as she saw the canine figures. "I didn't know the shinigami kept pets."

"Children shouldn't be out and about this late at night without the supervision of an adult." The figure continued to glare at her.

"You're not my mom and dad, so you've got no right to tell me what to do!" Bambietta let out a laugh and dodged away from the person's grip, sticking her tongue out when she did so.

"Where are your parents?" The figure turned his head from the position he had grabbed at her again.

"I don't have any. They're both dead." The girl bounced away again, watching as the person managed to destroy some of the building without her help.

"Why are you going around destroying the buildings?" The man asked.

"Because I'm a Quincy and Shinigami are my enemy." The girl suddenly bounced away, laughing as she did so.

"Quincy? The Quincy are supposed to be dead." The canine faced person looked at her in confusion, before she pulled back and launched an arrow.

Before she disappeared on him, she spoke up. "We call ourselves the Vandenreich."

The small female then found herself avoiding various shinigami factions and finding less and less that was easy to destroy. Bambietta found that despite the fact she hid her rieatsu well, they were starting to hone in on where she was and close of what they thought were possibly routes of escape. She found herself heading over one of the walls and noticed a particular paper door with no light coming from underneath.

The sound of shinigami approaching caused her to quickly use her speed ability and crash through the paper door in an attempt to escape. As she moved forward, she found herself suddenly falling over the edge of a bed she hadn't expected to be in the position that it was and she toppled over on top of someone.

She felt the person trying to sit up, almost as if they were reacting to her unexpected entry into the room. She almost thought about holding them down and covering their mouth so that they couldn't yell for help, but for some strange reason their reiatsu gave off a very familiar feeling that felt safe. Bambietta sat up, despite her best judgment.

The person she saw happened to be around her physical age. The boy had stark white hair despite the fact he was her age. He turned his head to look her straight in the eye. Instead of reacting like she was an enemy he simply stared her right in the eye and spoke up. "Who are you?"

"You don't..." Bambietta found herself interrupted by the sound of people approaching. She glanced first at the sound and then back and the young man and noticed that he was finally reacting and choosing to call out for help. Letting out a deep sigh she suddenly found herself forcing him to the bed and covering his mouth. "Don't say anything. Please."

She moved her hand and the boy spoke up, his eyes narrowed. She couldn't see the color of his eyes do to how dark it was, but his white hair was constantly standing out in the little light that was there. She removed her hand expecting a positive response when she removed her hand. "You can't make me, so..."

The female found herself clamping a hand over his mouth again while he struggled. His small hands reached up to grab her wrists in order to try and pry her away from him. She suddenly found her eyes going wide as she felt a familiar icy rieatsu, and she glanced over for a few seconds to see if someone was coming through the gate to get her.

Bambietta found herself being shoved away from the small male and she found herself hitting the floor hard. Glancing up she saw the boy suddenly move from the bed, one of his bare feet touching the ground while his other leg was bend at the knee. His right hand reached out to grab his blade. "Give me a really good reason to not kill you. It is rather obvious that you are the intruder."

"I'm a girl?" The small female's words had not effect on him. "Because if you catch me you'll have to explain why a girl happened to be in your room."

The boy had pulled his blade a few inches from the sheath and his other foot had almost touched the ground. "Excuse me?"

She could feel the sudden icy feeling and realized that it was coming from him. She didn't have time though to take in what was going on as he as suddenly launching himself at her. She dodged the sword blade and jumped away. Glancing back in the room, she found that she still couldn't see the white haired child's eyes.

"_I don't know why it is so important to see his eyes or know who he is._" She found the corner of her mouth twisting up when she found a string of curse words escaping the young man's mouth. "Wow... that's nice to hear."


	5. Game Time

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Game Time~_**

A pair of bright teal eyes stared at another set, surprised to find another pair of eyes so similar. "Who are you?"

Toshiro found himself taking the female in. The light wasn't the best, but it had allowed him to catch the color of her eyes and the fact she was a female. The girls eyes didn't stay looking at him for very long and her eyes didn't stay focused on him. She instead focused on his white head of hair, before glancing away out of boredom.

"I don't..."

"_... need to tell me_," the small taicho thought to himself. He heard the sound of someone on the other side of the division wall and could feel the female suddenly panic despite the fact she was hiding her rieatsu from him. She was turning towards him once again. Before he could see her eyes again, he found himself pushed back onto his bed and his mouth covered.

"_What is she trying to do?_" The boy blinked a couple of times and couldn't help but note that the girl's face was now completely covered. Her weight caused him to suddenly realize that when she had crashed into him before, that she had landed in a manner that hurt his ribs in some manner. "_Why is she running from everyone? She doesn't seem dangerous. I mean, I feel safe around her._"

"Don't say anything. Please."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes, the shadow caused by her position covering his face from her view. "You can't make me, so..."

The hand clamped down on his mouth and he found himself being held down. She found herself beginning to struggle against his grip. It was then that he found himself beginning to panic and his own reiatsu flared out. To his surprise the girl looked towards the door rather then at him like most people would.

This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up and he pushed her away, knocking her to the ground. His discomfort level was growing as he was becoming more and more aware that a girl was in his sleeping quarters while he was trying to sleep. He could feel the heat building up in his cheeks, as well as the cold air spreading across his skin from the door.

"_The last thing I want to get caught with is with a girl in my room. I would never live this down._" He then spoke up in an attempt to threaten her to leave. For once his temper flaring to nearly the point it had been when he was against Aizen. "Give me a really good reason to not kill you. It is rather obvious that you are the intruder."

It was almost as if she read his mind, as she piped up saying something that bothered him. "I'm a girl?" There was a pause as he looked at her, knowing full well that was obvious. "Because if you catch me you'll have to explain why a girl happened to be in your room."

It was stated more as a fact then a question and she seemed to brush it off as if it wasn't that big of a deal to her, but it was rather clear she knew it was a big deal for him. He found his eyes narrowing. "Excuse me?"

For some reason he couldn't help but let out a few choice words, to which she moved in a manner that mocked him. "Wow... that's nice to hear."

His blade was only partially pulled from the sheath and finally removed it completely. The girl let out a deep sigh and drew her own weapon. "Do we really have to fight? How can you be so immature?"

"Shut up!" Toshiro suddenly found himself launching forward. He got the strange sensation that he was able to read her every move, but for some reason she was dodging every single blow that he sent her way. They parried for a bit, his frustration going.

"You're strange. How come you have that icy rieatsu?" The girl stated firmly.

"Shut up!" The small taicho noticed that his breath was coming out in a misty spray and his body was starting to chill despite the fact his zampaktuo was pulled out. He found himself wishing that it wasn't snowing outside and he wasn't simply clad in his under garments. He didn't even have sock on his feet and he could feel the icy ground biting into his feet.

"See... you're strange. The cold seems to be bothering you. It doesn't bother me." The girl simply stood there as if the weather wasn't bothering her as all, almost as if she had an inner fire like Yamamoto taicho.

"I told you to shut up!" The boy lurched forward and his blade clashed with hers. Her movements kept matching his and they kept moving along, their fight going nowhere. It seemed as if the girl also realized that their fight wasn't going anywhere and attempted to make a move that would have normally given her the advantage if she had been able to pull it off without him guessing, but he found himself predicting what shouldn't have been a predictable move.

His frustration kept growing and he could see her face twisting up as she concentrated on the next move she should make. She then spoke up, frowning as she did so. "It's almost as if we're soul mates."

The comment caught him off guard and she suddenly pushed him back, causing him to stumble. "_There is no way that she is my soul mate. I barely know here and she is frustrating me. Not to mention the fact that feels so wrong._"

The girl blinked a couple of times. "That seems to be the second time I've caught you off guard when I've talked about us being the opposite sex." A smirk then spread across her face in amusement. "You just hit puberty and don't know what to do with your feelings."

"Die!" Toshiro found himself lunging forward, only to find his sword parried so he would come close to her. The next thing he knew she purposefully locked lips on him. His momentum continued to carry him forward as his cheeks flushed up and the both toppled to the ground. He found himself losing his grip on his hilt.

Sitting up, he could taste blood on his lip and he found himself suddenly backing away from the girl, not caring that his clothing was becoming iced over. He glanced over at his sword, wondering how he would get to the blade, but his mind was still reeling about what she had done. The girl let out a deep sigh. "It isn't as if kissing you was that big of a deal. It was just like kissing a family member."

The small taicho didn't know if she was trying to goad him or not, but she did know that her behavior was ticking him off. He wiped his mouth, disgusted that she had in fact managed to kiss him and catch him off guard. Despite the fact she was obviously not trying to hurt him and it felt like she was trying to play a game, he was rather ticked off. "Pervert."

"Excuse me?" It was the girls turn to become upset.

Her behavior didn't feel like something a family member would do and he thus spoke up. "What person goes around kissing their family members, let alone complete strangers."

The girl suddenly tense up at what he said. "So I am a pervert because I kiss my family members?"

Toshiro opened his mouth, but found an arrow going off next to his head, shattering a good portion of the wooden walkway in front of his and Rangiku's rooms. His jaw dropped upon realizing that the girl was a Quincy. A Quincy who seemed to also have a zampaktuo.


	6. Frost Bite

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Frost Bite~_**

When the arrow of spirit particles came racing past his head, Toshiro felt the right side of his face get singed a bit as the arrow sped by. He also felt splinters fly up into his skin as the wood shattered. His bright teal eyes were wide from surprise, but that didn't last long as he decided to move towards his sword as her aura had switched from being playful to being set to kill.

"_I must be kidding myself that she was trying to play with me before._" The boy went into a low roll past her, well aware that she still had her bow and arrow trained on him. Picking up his place he continued moving at a pace that dodged another arrow shot at him, almost as if she was using him as target practice. "_No... she doesn't want to kill me, she wants to seriously hurt me. I'm never going to get females._"

He then came around and tried moving in close in order to cross blades with her, only to find her blocking his movement again. The icy ground was biting into his feet and he could feel his body shivering from the cold. Catching a look at the girl, he knew that she wasn't phased by the weather, which caused him to mentally curse.

"_The longer you are out in this weather, the bigger disadvantage you have._"

"_In other words, you're telling me to make this short_," the small taicho said to his dragon, only to find himself narrowing his eyes at the girl. "_Easier said then done._"

The small taicho's feet began to hurt and he found himself blinking a couple of times as he tried to over come the cold that was seeping into his body. His movements were slowing down and he felt her blade suddenly leave a small cut on his right shoulder. One of his hands went to clutch the wound, while the other remained on his blade.

He opened his mouth and breathed in ice crystals as he tried to concentrate. "Why are you attacking Soul Society? For revenge?"

"No. I wanted to smash some things up to celebrate my birthday."

This caught the small taicho off guard and he saw her sword suddenlytwisting around so that the butt of the hilt came crashing under his chin, knocking him backwards. "_Great... I'm dead._"

He felt his body suddenly fall back and crash into the ground as his eyes rolled into the back of his head A pain was around his chin and the back of his head. His body also was frozen could hear the crunching of the girls feet near her head, only for it to suddenly leave when the girl suddenly took off upon hearing something approaching.

As he lay there and started to black out, he felt himself lifted into someone's arms. He could hear Rangiku calling out to him as she tried to warm him up. The smell of spices and baked goods didn't help him fight off blacking out.

**M**

When the young male called her a pervert, Bambietta found herself unable to hold back her temper. "_There is nothing wrong with the relationship I have with my family. I don't have family issues. If anyone is a pervert, it is him for thinking such an act is perverted._"

She watched as the boy looked at her with wide eyes, surprised to find out that she could use such an attack. He was then moving forward and she was surprised to see him make a sudden tumble to grab his sword. She then had a surprise of her own as he moved to dodge her arrow shots and got in close rather fast, something that wasn't supposed to be easy to do.

"_He's slowing down because he's not wearing the right clothing. Yet he was able to keep up with me. He's also wanting to end this because he knows that he can't fight much longer. This fight was fun when it began, but this isn't fun anymore._" She watched as her blade cut into his shoulder.

To her surprise, she found him asking her if she was there for revenge. She let out a small laugh, "No. I wanted to smash some things up for my birthday." A surprised look suddenly passed over the boy's face, allowing her to forward and use the butt of her hilt on his chin, causing him to slip slightly and fall and hit his head. She then stepped over. "_I should kill him... but something says I also shouldn't._"

A sound of someone coming suddenly came to her ears and she glanced up. She pushed her lips together and headed over the wall, hurrying away in hopes that she wouldn't be caught. "_I think it is time to go home."_

Glancing around she tried to find a place that would be good to leave without taking any shinigami with her. However, as she took a step, she suddenly found herself knocked to her knees by a rather strong rieatsu. The rieatsu also was warm despite the fact it choke her. She glanced up in time to see an old man stepping towards her.

"So you happen to be a Quincy?"

The girl turned her head to glare at the man. "So?"

"I'm wondering why you came and attacked us," the man asked.

Bambietta simply stuck out her tongue. Unable to move, she found her arms shackled and her rieatsu restrained so that she she couldn't attack anymore. She then found herself being led off to a prison cell and left there on her own. She found herself frowning at the wall. "Well, that is a happy birthday isn't it Toto-chan."

She found herself leaning against the wall. "_That boy was strange, wasn't he?_"

"_As if there was something familiar about him. You felt that icy rieatsu coming from him, it didn't come from your home._


	7. Baked Sweets

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Baked Sweets~_**

The first Christmas without Gin was hard to take, but Rangiku focused on the other people in her life that she cared about. One of these people was her small taicho and the other was her best friend Nanao. She felt that the feeling between herself and each of the other two people was mutual when it came to this time of the year.

She was surprised to find her Taicho to be hurting even more then she was the year before, not having told her about how much thinking about the parents who possibly abandoned him hurt. The look in his eyes was painful to see as it was the worst she had seen from him. Rangiku personally felt that he was missing out more by not celebrating.

After decorating a good portion of the tenth division, she headed over to the eighth division. The taicho of the division held up some eggnog that he had somehow precured before the big event and cheerfully smiled at her. "Want to drink Rangiku-chan!"

"I'm actually here to borrow your division's kitchens." The woman headed in the direction.

"Ah... so you're up to something with Nanao." The man let out a laugh.

The woman arrived in the room and looked at the mass amount of ingredients gathered, including the sugar bags from the living world. "How did you ever manage to get sugar for this?"

"I got help from Uktake Taicho. He was more then pleased to help with our little project." The woman pushed up her glasses. "So what treat should we bake for everybody first. You wanted to surprise your taicho with the treats."

"I did... I still do. He's not happy that his birthday is tomorrow." Rangiku felt her motuh suddenly twist up. "He's thinking about how his family abandoned him this time of year."

"Well, he probably didn't think about it or dwell on it like he is this year. Despite the fact he and Hinamori have patched things up, he's still hurting from her betrayal. I mean, has he come to terms that she betrayed him." The woman pulled out a few bowls. "Let's start with the gingerbread cookies, that is always a sure bet and it is very much part of the season."

"I love the Western holidays." Rangiku piped up. "I'm also glad for the new taicho of the fifth division as he gave Momo the ultimatium, she either make up with taicho or lose her position."

"I've heard that whether she stays or not is still in the wind as he may find someone who he's more comfortable with. I'm surprised he hasn't lost it with her already, as I don't remember him being a very patient man."

"He was very patient with Gin though." Rangiku began to measure out the ingredients. Soon, they had a sweets in the oven and a sweet smell filled the kitchen. They continued baking treats and making candies well into the night, not noticing what time it was. An alarm suddenly went off and both women glanced up. "Not now of all times."

"Shouldn't you go see to your taicho? If he's fallen asleep, someone is going to need to wake him up." Nanao let out a deep sigh. "I had better make sure that my taicho is awake, though he is asleep for a different reason."

Rangiku found herself hurrying back towards her division, leaving Nanao take things out of the oven so that the baked goods wouldn't burn while they were taking care of the intruder. She could feel someone moving across Soul Society, as brief spurts showed up where shinigami gathered. The commotion was heading towards her small taicho.

She also thought she felt the ability of a Quincy go off, but brushed it off. She felt her taicho's reiatsu suddenly flare and pushed herself harder in order to come to the small boy's aide. Despite the fact he was skilled, he was still a child and could make some rather rash decisions on his part. Her fear amplified when she felt the Quincy ability go off again.

She found herself heading over the wall and she landed on the ground. Her eyes glanced around and she caught site of her small taicho sprawled on the ground. She hurried over and saw that he wasn't wearing and shoes, and he was simply clad in the under part of the shinigami uniform. His sword was at his side and she found herself glancing around.

As she scooped his small figure into her arms, she noticed that his door had been smashed in. Swallowing, she found herself trying to rub heat into the child's body. She kept rubbing the boy's muscles. Someone else came over the wall. "Matsumoto Fukutiacho?"

"Somebody get forth division. Taicho's out cold." The woman found herself biting back her tongue, realizing that she had unintentionally made a pun. "He's not dressed to be out in this weather, so please hurry. Someone please bring me a blanket."

She could see his icy breath coming up and down. Eventually though a stretcher came and she found herself hurrying along by his side. Upon arriving at the forth division, Unohana greeted them . "We had better start treating him for hypothermia. It looks like his chin is bruised out, so I'll look for other injuries that might have occurred when he fell."

Rangiku found herself fidgeting, pacing back and forth. Unohana finally handed her a cup of hot tea. "Sit down. I don't need you admitted as well."

"What is wrong with him?"

"He's got a nasty bump on the back of his head, bruised ribs and a few other injuries. He's also got hypothermia. I'm surprised he was out fighting in this kind of weather."

"He... I think he didn't wake up when the alarm went off and the intruder crashed right through his bedroom door. That's the only reason I can explain him being dressed the way he is." Rangiku glanced at the ground.

"He's a tough child. He'll be fine." Unohana smiled at her and went to work at healing the boy's shoulder wound. As she felt the rieatsu, she suddenly frowned. "That's strange."

"What is?" The busty female frowned at the forth division taicho.

"The rieatsu from the attacker is missing. But then so is Hitsugaya's taicho in that area. The only time I've felt something like that was..." The woman paused before shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. It is likely coincidence.


	8. Sweet Dreams

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Sweet Dreams~_**

The summer sun beat down on a small white head of hair as a small boy sat on the porch of his grandmother's house. Two figures sat next to him, enjoying the cold watermelon that was in their laps. A small female spoke up, laughing as she did so. "_Watermelon is really nice Toto-chan!_"

"_When do you think tousan will come back Baba-nee? I figured he would be back by now._" The boy stated firmly.

"_Tousan is dead and he won't be coming back. That's what they all say._" The girl continued to swing her legs back and forth.

The boy frowned at his watermelon. "_The villagers say that he was never there, that he never existed. But I remember him as clear as a bell._"

"_Don't worry..._" The male that was with them spoke up. "_Your tousan isn't dead. I can sense him quite well._"

"_See... Maru-Maru says that he isn't dead Baba-nee. What do you say to that?_" The boy glanced up, but the facial features of the girl was blurred as well as the facial features of the male that was with them. The boy opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by another female coming out of the house. The figures disappeared as she came out.

"Shiro-chan... please tell me you aren't talking to your imaginary friends again? You need to make friends and play with the other kids." The girl reached down and took his small hand in hers. "Why don't we go and play with the kids next door."

"The kids next door don't like me." The words the child said to her fell on deaf ears. "Plus, I like Baba-nee and Maru-Maru as much as they like me. They don't make fun of me Momo-nee."

"Still... they aren't real." Momo let out a deep sigh. "Of course, you having imaginary friends is really cute."

"They aren't imaginary!" The boy continued to frown at the girl. "Baba-nee is my..."

**M**

Toshiro suddenly found himself waking with a start, his mind racing. Someone placed their hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down. "Taicho... it is three in the morning."

"The last time I checked, my birthday started with an intruder bursting through my door and landing on top of me. I then got in a fight with them and I got knocked out cold." The boy tried sitting up again, only to find the woman holding onto him.

"Taicho... please. Unohana has assigned you to bed rest." The woman let out a deep sigh, suddenly brushing the lock of hair that fell across his face away. "Be good for me?"

"That's I nice way to spend my birthday. At least I'm not smashing things up for fun." Toshiro felt a smile cross his face, but as quickly as it appeared he found himself frowning. "_Where did that come from?_"

"_The girl did say it was her birthday too._" His dragon spoke up.

"_But that dream can't be real. I mean, I had imaginary friends when I was a child. If she wasn't imaginary, then what would she be? I almost had the word before I woke up._" The boy tried sitting up again. "I need to go and speak with her."

"Her?" Rangiku frowned. She then realized he was referring to the intruder. "Taicho... no. I mean, I'm not sure why you need to be talking to her. Byakuya can just as easily handle her interigation."

"But there is the chance she is going to be put to death because she is a Quincy and attacked us? She didn't seem like she was trying to hurt anybody." Toshiro felt a hand placed on his forehead while Rangiku bit at her lip.

"You don't have a fever, but your body temperature is still low even for yourself. Please just lie back down as you're talking nonsense." Rangiku let out a sigh. "It's my duty as your fukutaicho to make sure you maintain your bed rest as ordered."

Toshiro frowned. "_I don't know why I am so worried about the fact she is going to be executed. She is a complete and utter stranger._" He let out a deep breath. "My fukutaicho is supposed to be helping me with my paperwork. Instead, she goes out drinking sake at what ever hours she wants. She then isn't there when I almost get killed."

The busty female gave him a sheepish look. "Actually, I wasn't drinking sake. I know that you dont' want to celebrate Christmas, but if you insist on not getting your rest, you might as well have these." Toshiro watched as the woman unwrapped a few cookies. It was his turn to look guilty and he glanced away. "There are tons of cookies and sweets, so we'll have plenty for the twenty-forth."

"I'm sorry I made the assumption you did." The boy continued to glance away from her.

"Taicho... is there something you would like for your birthday or Christmas?" The woman picked up one of the cookies and picked up his hand, placing the delight into the palm. "I know you don't want to celebrate, but they should taste nice."

The small taicho's hand wrapped around the cookie, his head spinning as he sat up to eat the treat. "Matsumoto... what are the chances of my birthday being my real birthday?"

"Where did this come from?" Rangiku suddenly bubbled out an apology. "I'm sorry I'm sorry. I mean, you yourself said that you died on a plain of ice, so that would mean that the chances were slim."

"But what if I didn't die on a plain of ice?"

"Then there is a higher chance it is your real birthday." Rangiku leaned forward, trying to look him straight in the eye. "Where did this come from?" She suddenly pulled back and let out a squeek. "You aren't upset that I didn't show up in time. I mean, if I didn't show up as soon as I did, there is no telling..." Rangiku paused, her words tightening. "... there is no telling what would have happened to you."

Hearing the tone in her voice, Toshiro found himself looking up and at the woman's eyes. Her eyes were watering, making it clear that the idea of something serious happening to him rather upset her. "Matsumoto?"

"You're mad at me, I know... but no where near as mad as myself." Rangiku's words poured out. "If I lost you..." The woman suddenly pulled him into her arms, her hug more gentle then her normal hugs. "Taicho, you're the closest thing I have to family."

"Why aren't you lecturing me for being stupid?" Toshiro's voice was monotone. "I mean, I shouldn't have fought in my night clothing."

He could feel the woman suddenly shake her head. "No... you didn't have a choice in the situation. I am so sorry that I wasn't there. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."

The boy felt a few tears fall onto his white head of hair. His mind tried processing what she was telling him.


	9. Lock and Key

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Lock and Key~_**

Two bright teal eyes watched the snow that was falling asleep and for a short period of time drifted off to sleep. When he woke up again, Toshiro found himself stirring and remembering the events that occurred during the night. The snow had stopped falling outside and a few hints of sunlight came in through his window, indicating that the sun was just breaking over the horizon.

Sitting up carefully and feeling his head spin, he found himself looking over to his side in time to see that Rangiku had fallen asleep. "_She probably feels rather useless right about now. I know that some times she shirks her duties, but she doesn't do it all the time._" His eyes suddenly narrowed. "_She probably feels as useless as I do right now._"

Glancing over at the table, he saw that a fresh uniform was next to his bed minus the haiori. Carefully pulling the covers back, he found himself dressing into warmer clothes and slipping on some socks to cover his feet. He could feel that he wasn't steady on his feet, but something from last night still bothered him and he had to research into the matter.

Before slipping out of the room, he carefully placed a blanket over Rangiku's shoulders so that she would keep warm. He then headed towards the door and glanced around. Seeing no one, he quickly moved down the hallway, ignoring the fact his head and side hurt. He slipped out of the division and found himself heading across the snow towards the place they held prisoners.

Upon arriving, he saw a guard and waited until he was looking in the opposite direction before slipping past the man to head down to one of the lower cells. The place was cold, but he tried his best not to let the weather bother him. He made a note to himself to ask about doing something about the prison quarters so that they were treating prisoners humanely.

Not many people were kept in the cells, thus finding the female was easy. He walked up to the door and let his reiatsu out, knowing that it would be only a matter of time before someone found out he was missing in the forth division and knew full well it was better to let them know where he was. Plus, doing this placed a strain on his body.

Upon feeling the blast, she turned to look at him with a smile on her face. "So you guys showed up to rescue me." Seeing his face however caused the smile to turn to a scowl. She turned her head away, hiding her eyes from him. He had caught the fact that they were definitely the same color as his. "Oh, it is only you. I doubt you're here to break me out."

"You're basically saying that there are more of you Baba-nee?" The boy spoke up, addressing the girl in the cell. He winced upon hearing himself call the girl that childish name.

"What did you call me?" Her tone wasn't nasty, but more on the curious side of things. She glanced up again so he could see her own pair of bright teal eyes.

It was his turn to glance away. "I'm sorry. I didn't call you anything. It was just a slip of the tongue."

"No it wasn't. Where did you hear that name? The only person whose ever called me that, or knew I was called that was Toto-chan." The girl suddenly stood up from the bench and walked over to look at him.

"What did you just call me?" The boy found himself pulling in a breath of air tightly, not realizing that his eyes had become hopeful.

"I didn't call you anything. That name belongs to someone else." The girl looked him straight in the eye, and her mouth twisted up. "Why did you call me Baba-nee? How did you learn that name?"

"Just... that name was the name of an imaginary friend when I was little, all right. Not that it has anything to do with you." Toshiro found the words snapping out, not understanding why he was pouring out his words."

The female looked at him, pondering something. She then spoke up, glaring at him. "I am not an imaginary friend."

"Of course your not. Last night was the first time I met you and I really did have imaginary friends when I was younger." Toshiro shook his head. "_This is not going anywhere._"

Letting out a deep sigh, he turned on his heels to leave. The girl spoke up behind him. "Where are you going?"

"I thought I could get some answers about why meeting you bothered me, but apparently that isn't the case." Toshiro felt that he could simply leave, but the words that she spoke next startled him again.

"Maru-maru isn't an imaginary friend either, but you should know that better then anyone." The girl stated. "Why don't you ask him?"

"Maru-maru?" The boy turned to look at her with a strange look. "For your information, Maru-maru _is_ an imaginary friend I had when I was younger. My question is _how_ you happen to know his name."

"Baka." The girl continued to glare at him, almost as if she thought he was an idiot. "Maru-maru is your zamapktuo spirit."

"You mean Hyorinmaru?" Toshiro found himself blinking a couple of times. His voice then strained as he thought about what she told him the night before. "Who are you?"

"Figure that out for yourself dummy." The girl glanced over at the wall in irritation. "You should know because you and I share a birthday Toto-chan."

The filling that something that had been missing for a long time wouldn't go away, but he found himself pushing the idea of who she was to the back of his mind. "That just isn't possible."

"And why not?" the girl looked him right in the eye. The fact that her eyes were the same color caused him to suddenly glance away.

"Because... I died and came to Soul Society over forty to fifty years ago. You look to be the same age as me, and yet you don't look like your an adult." Toshiro found that the words were chocking out of his mouth and he could feel a panic attack coming on. "You're a Quincy, aren't you?"

"Actually, we were both born here in Soul Society. We're both hybrids, half Shinigami and half Quincy. Your probably a lot stronger then me, considering the fact you were hindered by not wearing a lot of clothes and only knowing the Shinigami side of your powers."

"Not necisarily..." Toshiro stated, falling into conversation with her. However, he found himself shaking his head rapidly. "No, no. Why are you here?"

"You aren't mad that I shook up your little world?" The girl blinked at him a couple of times. "To tell you the truth, I wanted to do something different on our birthday, so I decided to bust up Soul Society because they to you, mama and papa away. It's as simple as that. Ironically, I didn't _want_ to hurt anyone while I was here, but I ended up hurting you Toto-chan."

"Why?" Toshiro still shook his head, his words coming out in a sharp and abrasive manner.

"I told you, I..."

"No, I mean..."

"Look, you may be mad at me for coming here. But shouldn't I be just as mad at you for forgetting our connection and making me believe you were dead?"

"I'm not mad at you because you came here!" Toshiro yelled at her, causing her to suddenly shut up. He found himself glancing at the ground. "Truth be told, I'm glad to know that I have a blood relation who cares about me. It feels like something that has been missing has come back."

He found himself stepping forward and looking her right in face, the look becoming rather serious. "However, you're going to be executed as an intruder. You talk about me making you believe that I'm dead, despite the fact I was made to believe that you were just an imaginary friend I made up. Yet you don't stop and think about the fact I just found you again, only to lose you again?"

The female stared him in the eyes for a few minutes. "I just realized that I'm taller then you."


	10. Captains Meeting

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Captains Meeting~_**

The head captain looked over the eleven other captains that had gathered in the room to discuss the intruder. The only person who wasn't there was the young captain Hitsugaya, who was supposed to be taking bed rest leave in the forth division due to the injuries he sustained. The last person to come into the room was Unohana.

"As you are all well aware, we have had an intruder who came into Soul Society the night before. It has been confirmed by Komamura that the person in question is in fact a Quincy. She is now being held captive in our prison cells."

Kyoraku Taicho suddenly reached up and titled his hat. "So let me get this straight. We have one lone Quincy show up from nowhere? Where did she come from and why did she attack us?"

"Where she came from is unknown, but there is a high chance that she has come from a group that was not extinguished like we so thought. As for why she attacked, that is also unknown." The head captain finished and waited for the next person to speak up.

"Well, I've gathered some nice samples of her DNA and her rieatsu and I've confirmed that she isn't a close relation to the Quincy brat that runs around with that substitute." Mayuri spoke up.

"You haven't run her DNA against any other known samples?" Unohana spoke up, her mouth twisting up into a frown."

"I don't see what the point of doing so would be."

Shinji looked at the woman. "I heard that the only casualty from last night was Hitsugaya Taicho. What exactly was he doing that got him manhandled and knocked out cold? He was doing something stupid again, wasn't he?"

"Apparently he was fast asleep and in bed when the alarm went off. He didn't wake up until the intruder broke down his door and went into his room. He didn't have time to change into a uniform, which hindered him."

Ukitake found himself speaking up while Shinji continued to scowl. "Mind telling us his injuries? They warrant him not being here I take it."

"He has a few bruised ribs, hypothermia and a nasty bump on the back of his head. He also received a cut on his shoulder. That said, his room is being investigated and thus we can't get any of his haori, so even if he wanted to come to the meeting he wouldn't be able to come in full uniform." The woman said quietly.

"Was the wound on his arm caused by the intruder? I'm surprised that he doesn't have more." Rose shook his head.

"Apparently the intruder was simply planning on smashing things up and not harming anyone. You could say it was a game to her." Unohana frowned, trying again to brush off the strange feeling she had.

"A game? You've got to be be kidding me." Shinji shook his head. "Can't say a certain someone who is adamant that he is not a child liked that."

"That's just it. The intruder happens to be around the same physical age as Hitsugaya Taicho," Soifon said.

"A child?" Ukitake blinked a couple of times. "Are you telling us that Central Forty-Six is considering the execution of a child?"

"A child that manged to take out a semi-handicapped captain I might add." Kyoraku tilted his hat again, letting out a whistle. "She seems to be a child genius like our Shiro-chan."

"Speaking of which..." Byakuya spoke up, a frown on his face. "When my team went to investigate, we found only minute traces of Captain Hitsugaya and the intruders reiatsu. Even in his room where there should be plenty of his rieatsu, we've found it to be diluted and there is no trace of the intruders reiatsu in the room."

Mayuri suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps I should do some more tests beyond what I did with the samples I've received."

"What ever for?" the taicho of the ninth division glared at the man, not trusting him at all.

"I am sure I would like to see those results as would the head captain." Unohana glared at the man, her lips pushing tight.

"So... there is some sort of meaning to the reiatsu disappearing like that?" Shinji reached up and stuck a finger in his ear to pick at the wax. "I guess there are some things even we don't know about despite being captains as long as we have. Is there something we should know?"

"You'll know if I deem it necessary." Yamamoto stated, his voice becoming firm about the matter.

Yet another alarm went off and the captains found themselves startled. Kyoraku frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Are you telling me that we're under attack again?"

The fukutaicho of the first division came in, bowing to the captains. "The prisoner is escaping. There is news that Hitsugaya Taicho is with her."

"So, she's taken the kid prisoner?" Ukitake frowned.

"Actually, Hitsugaya Taicho apparently instigated the escape." The man stated as he remained in his bow.

"That idiot. What does he think he is doing?" Shinji shook his head. "Even he has to know what he is doing is stupid."

"Please keep in mind that Hitsugaya Taicho has a head injury." Unohana spoke up.

"Please spread out and capture Hitsugaya Taicho. Bring them both back alive if possible." Yamamotto spoke up, a frown spreading on his face.

The captains headed out. Unohana walked over to Mayuri. "I want you to run those tests as soon as possible. You know why we want them."


	11. Running Away

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Running Away~_**

Toshiro's frustration reached a peak as he spoke with her. "Yet you don't stop and think about the fact I just found you again, only to lose you again?"

"I just realized that I'm taller then you." The words came out of Bambietta's mouth as she came to the realization. She watched as the white haired boy's eyes went wide.

He then tensed and began to yell at her. "I am not short!"

"It seems as if you have height issues." The female frowned at him.

"Well, there are more important things then that!" Toshiro found himself unable to prevent the panic attack that was surging. "As I said, they are going to execute you."

"So?" The girl let out a deep sigh before going and sitting down. "It isn't as if they'll execute me in the next forty-eight hours. They haven't made the decision to execute me either. Your just being a worry wart."

"No I'm not!" Toshiro could feel his throat straining as he spoke to her. "You act like the possibility that they'll kill you will mean nothing. What are you going to do if your dead?"

"Nothing. That should be obvious." The female watched as he leaned against the wall, placing two hands on top of his head as he tried to think.

"I'm not impressed with the fact you're making jokes about this." Toshiro shook his head., wincing as he felt the pain in the back of his head. "Can't you think of a serious way for you to get out of this situation. Because I certainly am. We have to think about what we have to do, because..."

Footsteps were suddenly heard on the stairs and one of the members of the sixth division came down the stairs in order to check on the prisoner. The man saw Hitsugaya Toshiro and blinked a couple of times. "What are you doing down here, Hit..."

The small taicho reacted rather quickly and jumped up and elbowed the man in the chin, before taking his elbow into the man's stomach. The man bent over and Toshiro brought his elbow down on the back of his head. His head was spinning from the sudden movement, but as the man fell to the ground unconscious he found his small hand grabbing the key.

Bambietta gave him a dirty look. "So the idea that you came up with is to help me escape?"

"You aren't going to say something along the lines of just because you're a girl that you don't need rescuing. I've got that." Toshiro turned to look at her, the keys in his hand. His head was spinning and he knew someone would notice that the guard was gone. "_Yet I know that he heard what I was saying to her, and anyone of intelligence could put the two together._"

"You'll get in trouble if you let me out." The female shook her head. "You aren't happy that I may be executed, but I'm not happy if you got executed either."

"I realize that I can't stay if I help you out." Toshiro walked over to the door and put the key into the lock and twisted it unlocked. "Eventually someone is going to realize that the two of us are twins just like I did and when they do, they're going to figure out that I am Quincy hybrid. So I really can't stay here anymore if I want to live."

"Then come back with me." Bambietta spoke up, a smile spreading across her face.

"While you're trained as a Quincy, I'm trained as a Shinigami. I think you know as well as I that the only place I can go is the world of the Hollows or the living world." The boy glanced at the ground. "So we'll head to the living world and then you can decide where you're going to go after that. I'm capable enough of hiding from Soul Society, so you don't need to worry about me."

"I'm staying with you." The girl reached out and grabbed his hand. "If you can't come home with me, then I'm not going back. We're twins, so we need to stick together."

The two then found themselves pushing up against the walls and slowly heading out of the cells, hiding from the guards who were on duty. Toshiro could feel his head pounding as they moved along, his breath coming tightly. "We need to get from here to the gate in order to get to the living world."

"You don't look to good." Bambietta held onto his hand.

"I'm fine." The small shinigami spoke up without looking her in the face. This was despite the fact he felt nauseous and his head was spinning. The bottoms of his feet stung as he moved towards the gate. He noticed how the shinigami security had grown and he found himself frowning, realizing that everyone had been on alert. "We need to get past them."

"I can easily take care of that."

"_Without_ killing them." Toshiro stated, watching as she turned to him in surprise. The next thing he knew, the two of them were moving and knocking out the guards. The men dropped to the ground without them doing much. He then reached out to push the gate open, only to hear someones voice behind him.

"Hitsugaya!" The young man turned in time to see Renji glaring at the two. "What do you think you're doing? Why are you doing this?"

The small taicho pushed his sister behind him, causing the gate to open slightly. Bambietta noticed it was open and grabbed her brothers hand and pulled him through. Toshiro could see the look on Renji's face and knew that he was livid. As they went through, he found himself kicking the door shut. They were then both running down the path that oozed at the sides.

Bambietta glanced up. "What is with this gate tunnel? I thought that the travel to the living world would be instantaneous?"

"I guess that Shinigami and Quincy's ways of traveling between the worlds happens to be different. This is how we always traveled." Toshiro stated as they continued to hurry forward.

"If you had told me, I could have just opened a gate up to the living world and gotten us there a lot faster." The girl shook her head, but continued to hold onto his hand as they hurried along the path. "Isn't that guy coming after us?"

"One of the advantages of coming through this way is the fact that by closing the door behind us, he would have to come through the gate at a later time. One hour in Soul Society or the living world is worth a months worth of time in this place. Time passes faster and thus we're already ahead of them by a bit of time." Toshiro suddenly felt his head ping and he placed a hand on his forehead.

"If you've got a headache, why don't we stop." Bambietta's voice indicated she was worried.

"We can't stop."

"Why not? I mean..."

A rumbling sound was heard and both spun their heads around to see the sweeper bearing down on them. Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "That's why. We have to move faster."

The two suddenly were hurrying forward and finally the light was seen at the end. They burst through the end of the gate and Toshiro moved his feet so that they would hold himself up in the air. However, as soon as he gained his foothold, he found himself hit by a dizzy spell. He found himself suddenly falling to the ground, his hand letting go of his sister's.


	12. Crashing Down

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Crashing Down~_**

The feel underneath his feet when he touched the air in Karakura Town was nice and secure and he felt like he could take a deep breath. The breath was caught half way through as the pain in his head suddenly escalated in a manner that caused him to physically flinch. He could feel his hand letting go of Bambietta's as he began to topple to the ground.

"Toto-chan!" The small female called out to him as the air rushed by him. He suddenly felt his body smashing against the ground and knew that he had even more injuries then he did before. He found himself pushing himself up from the ground and trying to steady himself. He heard a set of small feet hit the ground near him. "You told me that you were all right!"

"I am all right," the boy took a deep breath, still trying to steady himself.

"No... you're lying to me." The girl helped him up into a sitting position. "You aren't all right at all."

Toshiro closed his eyes, not saying a word, only to feel a sudden tug on his sleeve. He turned his head to look at a pair of bright teal eyes. The worried look she gave him caused him to break down. "Fine, I'm not fine. I was supposed to be having bed rest in the forth division because of last night."

"I did that to you?"

The white haired boy glanced away, swallowing hard. "I'm the one who aggravated my condition by not obeying a direct order from Unohana Taicho. That's normal for me because I don't keep to being cooped up."

Toshiro glanced up at the sky and saw the clouds above them. A snow flake suddenly fell down from the sky above and landed upon the boy's face. Bambietta let out a deep sigh. "We need to find shelter."

The female helped Toshiro up to a standing position and he found himself leaning on her as they walked away from the place he crashed landed. The pace was slow, but eventually they came to a building that was run down. The door creaked open as Bambietta nudged it with her foot. She frowned at the filth but walked in.

Getting to the far wall of the small building that had been used as an old power station, she helped her other half to the ground, where he closed his eyes, letting out a shiver. Bambietta got up and closed the door, letting it snap shut. She then went and sat next to him, pulling her knees up to her chest. Toshiro continued to shiver. Cracking one eye open, he noticed the fact that she wasn't shivering.

"How come you're not cold?" The boy frowned at her.

"My element is fire based, so I am using it to help me keep warm. I've always done that." The girl titled her head to look at him.

"Kind of like how I try to use my element to prevent heat sickness. It only works to a certain degree though, so you should be having some problem with the cold." Toshiro leaned back, resting the painful lump on a cold surface. His feet ached, likely from them having been in the cold the night before.

"If we're going to be in the living world then we'll need some food and supplies. We can't survive without food. I'm going to go and get some things. Will you be fine until I get some things."

"Yeah. We could just ask Kurosaki for help. He may be a substitute shinigami, but he isn't tied with Soul Society. We could also ask his Quincy friend for help. If we don't get them to help, we'll end up having to..." Toshiro's eyes suddenly opened up. "Wait a second. You were going to steal food, weren't you?"

"It isn't as if people can see us, so even if I had money there is no way I can pay and get change. Don't act like I want to steal stuff."

"You came to Soul Society to smash some things up. I wouldn't put it past you." Toshiro stared straight at the door. "Do what you feel you have to do. In the lower districts there were stories about how people had to steal in order to survive. It isn't a concept I'm unfamiliar with. Do try to space out what you take so it doesn't negatively effect people."

"Yeah... uh huh." The girl stood up. "Why do I get the idea that you are just going to tell me that we should just go to this substitute shinigami. A shinigami is a shinigami no matter how you look at it."

"I trust Kurosaki. For some reason it feels like the best option."

"Well, I don't know this Kurosaki person." The female stood up and found himself heading towards the door. She glanced around and used her step to hurry towards a more populated part of town. She headed towards a small store and walked in. The person in charge glanced up, but didn't see anyone coming in.

She found herself going up and down the aisles, frowning at the fact she couldn't get a warm meal for herself and her brother. She instead found herself grabbing a few bags of snacks, some drinks and some medicine. She then headed towards the door, hiding behind an aisle so that no one could see her. When no one was looking, she slipped out the door again.

She carefully picked her steps and was planning on simply heading straight back, but someone called out to her.

"Why are you stealing?"

The girl blinked a couple of times before turning to look at the girl, frowning as she did. "What do you mean?"

"Your stuff isn't bagged up, which means you grabbed it from the shelf." The girl who was looking at her also had dark hair. The girls dark eyes were narrowed at her.

"No, I mean how can you see me."

"It is rather obvious that you aren't a shinigami, so what are you. Because you aren't an Arrancar or a spirit either."

Bambietta found herself grating her teeth, wondering what she should do about the situation.


	13. Another Meeting

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Another Meeting~_**

Rangiku found herself being shaken awake by Isane, who had a rather concerned look on her face. "I have some bad news about your taicho."

The woman's face suddenly paled, her face turning to look at the now empty bed. "Taicho didn't pass away during the middle of the night."

"It is more along the lines of him sneaking away despite the fact he wasn't supposed to be up and about. But... there is more to it then that." The female continued to frown. "He didn't say anything strange to you that seemed abnormal did he?"

"Well, taicho did ask me if it was possible for his birthday to be his real birthday.," Rangiku frowned, the corner of her mouth twisting up as she tried to smile. "_I wish that she hadn't scared me like that._"

"I was wondering if he had asked something like that." Unohana suddenly spoke up, causing both fukutaicho to turn their heads to look at her in surprise.

Isane frowned at the woman. "But that was a weird question to ask."

"Not if what I believe to be true is true." The woman turned towards the door. "They've called a joint meeting for the captains and the fukutaichos. You need to know Matsumoto Rangiku that your taicho has pulled something again and is running the risk of running afoul of the forty-six."

Rangiku blinked a couple of times, before getting up and hurrying after the woman. "But... what are you talking about. What did he do?"

"He released the prisoner not to long ago. I've had time to come and get you and now they're telling us they're both heading to the living world."

The busty woman frowned, shaking her head again. "But... taicho wouldn't... I mean." There came a pause before she continued. "The intruder hurt taicho, so why would he want to help that person out."

"The intruder is a female Quincy around the same age as him. I don't know if Mayuri has had time to run his tests, but hopefully he doesn't say anything during the meeting. I'll explain my theory to you later on, but I am suspecting that Yamamotto taicho already suspects the same thing as me. That's why the head captain moved to capture her possibly, he noticed something was off when Hitsugaya Taicho fought her."

The two fukutaicho headed into the room and headed into their position and knelt down. Rangiku found herself glancing at the ground. "_Taicho, I don't understand why you would do something like this again. I mean, you should have known how badly this effected myself and the rest of the division. And you know that this gets you labeled as a traitor._"

The members quickly gathered and the only positive thing that Rangiku could think of was the fact that for each minute longer the meeting took, the longer that her taicho had to hide from them. "_I really shouldn't be thinking along those lines when that would get me labeled as a traitor. But I'm not apt to think along the lines that my taicho does and I would take all the blame for what he's done if I could._"

When Hinamori came into the room, she heard the small female pipe up. "I _still _can't believe that Shi... Hitsugaya Taicho would release the prisoner."

"Well, he did." Shinji rolled his eyes as he took his spot.

When all the members arrived, Renji was asked to give his report. "When I received news that Hitsugaya Taicho had released the prisoner, I headed towards the gate as they would either be hiding or trying to escape to the living world. When I arrived I asked Hitsugaya Taicho what he thought he was doing. He slipped through the gate after the prisoner. The funny thing is, I had a problem feeling either one of their reiatsu."

"That isn't surprising." Mayuri spoke up, a smirk on his face.

"Why isn't that surprising?" Rukia asked from her position behind Ukitake.

"He means the fact that Hitsugaya Taicho and the Quincy's reiatsu seems to neutralize each other." Shinji spoke up, his voice becoming annoyed. "You seem to know something that we don't, like a reason why Hitsugaya Taicho decided to help her out."

"Not another word." Yamamotto spoke up, frowning at the man.

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Kyoraku shook his head. "It seems a few people, including Hitsugaya Taicho know something that we don't know. Don't you think that is going to effect how we should react to this situation? I am confused as to why the taicho of the tenth decided to make such a move."

The old man suddenly glanced at Unohana. He finally took a deep breath. "Many of you learned about one rieatsu canceling out the other in the academy. When this occurs one of the reiatsu will be picked up, while the other becomes obsolete. Other times the reiatsu will fight for control, one being more dominate then the other."

"Yet it felt like the rieatsu was almost erased. I could some times feel a small flicker, but it was if I was from a distance."

"The cases that have been recorded have been where twins have been concerned." Yamamotto spoke up, frowning as he did so.

There came a total silence as many of the other taicho and fukutaicho simply stared at them. Rangiku felt something pulling at her throat as she did so. "_He asked me if his birthday had been real. Which means this girl came to Soul Society on their birthday? What are the chances of that happening?_"

Finally, Momo spoke up. "That isn't possible. Shiro-chan died on plain of ice and he wasn't born in Soul Society."

Shinji let out a deep sigh. "I've told you, you're to call him Hitsugaya Taicho, not this Shiro-chan nickname. Also, do you have any proof that he was born on a plain of ice?"

"He always told me that he died and came to Soul Society." The small female glanced at the ground, before glancing up. "Plus, you _said_ the intruder was a Quincy. If she's a Quincy then that would mean that he's also a Quincy."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "He's then a hybrid? Wouldn't that have been enough for the old forty-six to have ordered his execution?"

"Well... that's a positive." Kyoraku titled his hat down. "I was a little upset that he hadn't learned the lesson from last time that he can turn to us for help with personal situations. He honestly doesn't think we can help him this time around."


	14. Stepping In

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Stepping In~_**

A snowflake fell on top of an orange head of hair as the Substitute Shinigami moved through Karakura Town. The teenager glanced around with his brown eyes, glad that it was the winter break and he wasn't having to miss schools because a Hollow showed up. He also found himself glad that he had his powers back and felt like himself once again.

As he stopped in midair, Ichigo suddenly found himself pausing as he felt a familiar feeling. A frown spread across his face. The rieatsu he felt was one of the few he had come to learn to identify. He found himself quickly moving towards the icy feeling and landing in the air above an old power station.

Two brown eyes looked the building over and could tell it was rather run down. The substitute could feel the corner of his mouth twist up. "_Why is Toshiro here of all places? It doesn't seem like a place he would come to hang out, Not to mention, if he needed a place to stay there are plenty of people who he could stay with._"

The teen dropped to the ground, landing on his knee. He then walked over to the gate and found that the place wasn't locked up. As his frown deepened, the young man moved towards the door and opened it. The cold was starting to pick up and he found himself moving into the small room and taking a look around.

Toshiro was sitting up against the wall shivering. The boy was dressed in his uniform but he was missing his haori. One corner of the room were icicles hanging from the roof. Despite the fact the door creaked as he came in the child taicho didn't notice that Ichigo had come into the room. He slipped over and knelt down.

"Can't you feel my rieatsu? It's such a pain to shut it off, you should have noticed that I was here." Ichigo watched as Toshiro continued to shiver. "Toshiro..." A smile came to his face as the boy glanced up at him. The pair of teal eyes were glazed over and there came no verbal response. "You aren't going to yell at me that it is Captain Hitsugaya? You're always chewing me out."

"I'm not in a position to make those kinds of demands from you." The boy glanced down at the ground.

"I would push you more about what is going on, but I've got to get you some place to warm up." Ichigo moved to one side of the boy and moved to scoop the boy up.

His hands were almost touching Toshiro when the boy suddenly spluttered out some words. "Don't! I'm waiting for her to get back and if you take me away she won't know where I am!"

"Who?" Two brown eyes watched as the small white haired boy opened his mouth to say something, only to hear a cough come out. "How about I get you some place warm and then I go looking for this person as soon as you feel me in on the details."

The child's eyes closed and Ichigo found himself able to lift the boy up without any argument. He then began to head back to his house. "_Well, this isn't the first time I've had to carry him. The other time happens to be when he..._" Ichigo closes his eyes, thinking about the fact the situation was a bit to familiar. "_I won't ask him until I can start getting him warmed up. Just in case, I'll take him to my place as Urahara's place is likely where the Shinigami will come through looking for him._"

Ichigo arrived at his house and perched on the window sill of his room. He tapped on the window and a few minutes later a rather bored Kon opened up the door. Setting Toshiro down on the bed, he quickly closed the window behind him and popped into his body. He grabbed the green pill and stuffed it into the plushy body.

Kon began to struggle. "What the hell is the kid doing here! I thought that nee-chan would be the one who would be coming to visit, not that brat."

Ichigo tossed the lion to the side and stormed over to his closet and pulled out a blanket. "Rukia is busy with her fukutaicho duties."

"Well, he's a taicho so he should have more duties then Rukia. So why is he here. He wouldn't be unless..." Kon paused in is speech. "Unless of course he's decided to run away for some reason. If I remember correctly he's done that before. What trouble has he gotten into this time."

"Shut up Kon." Ichigo walked over to Toshiro and began to tuck the blanket around the shivering figure. He took a deep sigh and shook the boy a bit. Toshiro glanced up at him and he sat down while keeping a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Mind telling me what is going on?"

"I'm not sure where to start." Toshiro's head leaned against the pillow.

"How about who would be upset if you weren't where I found you? That wouldn't be Rangiku-san would it?" The Substitute Shinigami thought about how Rangiku would know though to come and find Toshiro here, not to mention she would have thought to come for him for help.

"You haven't met her." The boy tried sitting up, only to clutch his head suddenly and let out a painful hiss.

"Is she new to the Shinigami ranks?" Ichigo asked.

"She isn't a Shinigami. She's actually... she's a Quincy." The boy closed his eyes and moved his hand to cover his eyes.

"So, you decided to go out of your way to rescue her? Why? I mean, Uryu goes on and on about how you Shinigami and you Quincy are enemies and how you shouldn't help each other out. And where exactly did she come from? I mean, the Quincy are supposed to be near extinct from what Uryu's told me."

"Where did she come from?" A frown spread across Toshiro's face. Closing his eyes he tugged on Ichigo's sleeve. "Help me so I can sit up."

"Sure." The orange haired teen lifted the boy up into a sitting position. "Do you need another blanket to warm up."

Upon receiving a nod, he headed over to the closet. As his back was turned, he found Toshiro saying something strange. "Where do I come from?"

Ichigo paused while Kon suddenly burst into laughter. Patiently he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Don't you mean to ask where she came from?"

Toshiro glanced up, his normally bright eyes still glazed over. "Actually... asking where she is from and where I am from is pretty much the same question. The reason being, she's my sister."

"So, wait... your telling me I've got another kid to look after?" Ichigo watched as Toshiro's eyes narrowed. "Right, you're not a kid anymore then my two sisters are anymore. But keep in mind you are still a kid in some ways."

"Why didn't you bring up the fact that I have Quincy blood?" The question came out of the small boy's mouth.

"I get why you couldn't turn to your fellow Soul Reapers for help, but why didn't you come to me for help?" Ichigo shook his head at the boy.

"I told her we should, but she said she doesn't know you and doesn't know if she can trust you." Toshiro's voice strained. "_Why _aren't you asking me about me being a hybrid between a Quincy and a Shinigami."

"I'm not sure why. Maybe its because I have no problem with other hybrids. I mean, you know that the other Substitute Shinigami had a Shinigami parent, so it shouldn't surprise you to hear that I am half Shinigami. My other half is..." Ichigo suddenly paused, blinking a couple of times. "Of course, there is that option which would explain a lot."

"Explain what?" Toshiro shook his head, only to wince and let out a sound of pain. His hand went to touch his forehead.

"I was just thinking, my mom was rather quick about getting between me and that Hollow when I was a kid. Which means she had to have been able to see spirits. Normal humans can't see Hollows, so the question of how she was able to see them comes up. I guess she could have been a Quincy herself."

"Kurosaki... don't you dare be fool enough to tell anyone that theory of yours. You'll put your entire family into danger."

"Why not? I don't mind being who I am."

"Because, we have a new forty-six and there is no telling whether they'll order the execution of not just yourself but your entire family."


	15. What Was Known

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~What Was Known~_**

Ukitake remained silent through the entire meeting despite the fact something bothered him about the situation. It simply wasn't the fact that Toshiro had taken off in an attempt to save the prisoner from a possible execution. For some strange reason it felt like something he felt the small taicho would do as the boy had a strong sense of true justice.

He also wasn't bothered by the fact it was revealed that Toshiro was possibly a Quincy hybrid. The whole thing made the boy going through the academy at such a young age, not to mention his problematic rieatsu less surprising. He also found the fact Toshiro helped the prisoner out less surprising then before as it was possible that they were siblings.

What bothered him was the fact that Yamamotto had an idea and had not bothered to tell anyone for some strange reason. Mayuri had wanted to blurt out what he had thought to be a scandalous fact about a taicho he wasn't at all fond of. Unohana had obviously been trying to protect the young taicho on what she likely deemed a private manner.

Thus Ukitake dismissed Rukia after the meeting in order to wait further orders. Once all the others had left, he found himself glaring at the man, his usual soft smile missing. "How long have you know that Hitsugaya Taicho was a Quincy hybrid."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know what I am accusing you of. I am accusing you of having known that Hitsugaya Taicho was a Quincy hybrid. Actually, let me ask an even better question. How long have you know that a member of the Royal Family was a Quincy hybrid." The man pushed his lips together n firm defiance, knowing that h was heading into a rather taboo territory.

Yamamotto was facing the back wall. "Tell me Jushiro, how did you know that Hitsugaya Toshiro was related to the Royal Family?"

"My family is one of the few families that knows that the dragon zampaktuo belong to people who are closely related to the Soul King and this is a way for identifying who the next Soul King will be in case something happens to the closest relations. For a child to have inherited a dragon zampaktuo, he has to either be of the main branch of the main branch has died out, just as you are of the main branch."

"I'm not going to acknowledge whether what you say is true or not at this point, you do understand this Ukitake."

"Is the reason you hadn't told Hitsugaya Taicho because it is a shame to have your bloodline tainted by the Quincy blood line? Or if it was ever found out that he was of a Quincy blood line, then the forty-six wouldnt know they were killing off a royal family member? They should have known that he was a member though because of his zampaktuo."

"Which is why Sojiro could not be allowed to live." Yamamotto finally turned around to look the man in the eye. "Why are you binging this up at this point in time Jushiro. You are not one to care for politics, not to mention you have an illness that causes you problems."

"Despite the fact Hitsugaya Taicho and I are of the same rank, I think of him as another one of my charges. I've watched this child since word got to us that another child genius had entered the academy, and there he was, a child with an amazing amount of skill. And yet he was unable to act like a child or be a child."

"If it weren't for your illness Ukitake, it is likely you would have been made a member of the Zero Squad. Actually, it is a known fact among Unohana, myself and the members of the Zero Squad that you were a prime candidate. Particularly since you would not allow an unjust king to live. So I will tell you what I have to say in confidence."

"Not only has the original forty-six known that Hitsugaya Toshiro was a member of the Royal family, they have known for some time that he is in fact a Quincy and Shinigami hybrid. If you actually can call those who are born of both a hybrid, as both groups original came from Soul Society. Hitsugaya Toshiro is one of the few pure ones, something that has nearly died out because of a decidsion the forty-six made."

"They would not be so foolish to try and kill off the heir to the throne just to hide a secret that they have been trying to keep secret for many years. Actually, the fact that Toshiro is a pure one, or will be once he learns the Quincy techniques makes him an even better candidate for the throne of Soul Society."

"If Zero Squad and forty-six had their way, Hitsugaya Toshiro would already be moved into the Royal Family quarters from everyone he knows and cares about. As long as it is not known that he is a member of the Royal Family, he can easily remain as a child as no one will be seeking to assassinate him or use him as he is a child."

Ukitake found himself blinking a couple of times. "Yet you are out here, freely interacting with Soul Society. What is the difference?"

"The difference is that I am an old man while he is still a child no matter how much he protests."

"And you ordering his execution? You didn't have alternative motives for that?"

"On top of the fact that Hitsugaya Taicho was a danger to himself, a dragon zampaktuo does not pass on unless it is time for it to pass on. There is no other heir for it to pass on, thus I felt fate would work in our favor."

"And what about his sister? Forty-six would execute her, would they not?"

"With her showing up, it is more likely they and Zero Squad would fight to have both removed into their protective custody as they are both minors." The man then turned around. "It isn't as simple as them wanting to do this because they are wanting to restrict their freedom. There is a man... the leader of the Quincy I failed to kill a thousand yeas ago who could possibly use the fact he is blood related to the children in order to try and take the throne."

"And how do you know this?"

"My niece was the one show stopped me from killing him a thousand years ago. Her father is the current king of Soul Society, while her brother was the heir to the throne. However, her brother was killed making it so her son would end up inheriting."

"Then Toshiro is your grand-nephew."

"Toshiro is my great-nephew as well as being my great-grandson. I know _exactly _who his parents are, and as his father, my nieces son, happens to be dead, that leaves Toshiro as the heir." Yamamotto then turned back around. "The main point is, Hitsugaya Taicho is with his sister, whom Juhabach will be seeking once he realizes she's decided to take off on him. We may have an outright war here, but if he figures out that the children are in the living world, he'll simply snatch them before we can do anything."

"So the threat this whole time has been one man?" Ukitake received a silent answer.


	16. What Wasn't Known

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~What Wasn't Known~_**

When Bambietta was around her twin brother, she could feel his rieatsu pulling on hers and her spiritual pressure chose to reach out and latch onto his. When she had first encountered him the night before the whole thing had felt strange due to the fact she didn't remember ever feeling that sensation before. In the same token the sensation felt normal and natural by the time she left the power station.

One thing she didn't notice was the fact that her brother's reiatsu started to spread into the power stations corners and thus she didn't notice the effect her rieatsu had on his suddenly going away. To her, Toshiro was always there, a separate component from her own rieatsu. Thus she had no clue that her brother was becoming more and more like a beacon for those who could sense spiritual pressure.

She also payed no heed to the movements of the Substitute Soul Reaper. While it was true that she could feel his spiritual pressure, she didn't see him as a threat or something to avoid as his spiritual pressure was neither hollow now Shinigami. Instead, his spiritual pressure was a nice mix between Quincy and Shinigami like hers.

She would have taken more notice had the male whose rieatsu reeked of all Quincy started moving torwards her brother. Or any of the other strange rieatsu that she couldn't identify that were all around Karakura Town. She simply focused on the task at hand, getting herself items so she could take care of her twin brother.

As she headed towards the store of her choice, she didn't notice that it was near a soccer field. She didn't notice a female playing with the males with dark hair, barking out orders. She did feel that someone was there whose rieatsu conflicted with hers, making her choose to ignore the sensation that the stranger put off.

However, when she came out of the store she found herself butting heads with the person who said rieatsu belonged to and she found herself not happy with the situation. Her bright teal eyes looked the girl up and down and she got the vibe that something was off about the girl compared to the others, which added to her dislike.

On top of this she didn't like how the girl dressed. There was nothing girly about the girl and the chick seemed to think dressing like a boy was flattering. While Bambietta wasn't an absolute girly-girl, she found herself despising them. But she found herself despising the full blown tom boy even more. At least that is what she told herself.

Watching as the girl narrowed her eyes, she asked the important questions. "No, I mean how can you see me."

"It is rather obvious that you aren't a shinigami, so what are you. Because you aren't an Arrancar or a spirit either."

The female with the longer hair glared at the tomboy, miffed that she was being stalled to getting back to her brother. "Look, it is none of your business, so why don't you just shut the hell up."

"My job is to protect Karakura Town from any potential threats that normal people can't see."

"I still don't see how this is any of your business as I am not a threat, but I sure will be if you continue to butt in where you're not wanted." The girl glared at the female, miffed that she had shown up. "_I just found my brother again, I'm not going to give him up simply because some girl shows up._" However, another voice in her head spoke up. "_But why do you feel threatened by this small girl._"

"You're stealing stuff from one of the stores." The girl pointed a finger at the supplies. This caused Bambietta to pull the items closer to her chest. "Some of those items are medicine and such, which means that you're likely taking them for a friend whose hurt. How do you know if those are the right medicines for you to give them?"

"I don't need your help!" Bambietta snapped the words out, while the girl simply continued to look at her.

"What happens if you give that person the wrong things? They could get really sick you know and you'll only end up making the situation worse. You look like you're a kid, so are you sure you shouldn't be getting an adult to help you at least?"

"Unlike him, I don't know any adults in this town, nor do I know who to trust." The female suddenly choose to stick out her tongue before speaking again. "Have a nice day."

She then found herself hurrying back to where her brother was. The girl she had met had made the decision not to follow and thus things ended up being a simple matter of getting back to the place. A smile spread across her face as she opened the door with her prizes, only to suddenly fall away upon seeing the site in front of her.

"Toto-chan?" The small female found herself suddenly swallowing as realization that he was gone hit her. "He wouldn't have left me?"

"_No... he's too tired and ill to move on his own._" The voice came to her head.

"But..." She spread out her rieatsu trying to find where he had been taken to, her panic and anger seriously rising as she tried to find his reiatsu. Finally though, it settled upon a faint feeling and she let out a sigh of relief. This was short lived when she realized that someone had her brother.

As she turned around, she found herself dropping the items, surprised to see the girl she had spoke to earlier. "What have you done to him?"

"I've been at the soccer field all day. I didn't know about this place until I followed you here you know."

"I told you that I didn't need your help!" The girl snapped the words out, before using her hand to slap the other girls face.

"Yet it is rather obvious that you have a friend who is in trouble. Particularly now that it seems that someone's taken him. Of course, I think my brother's the one who found Toshiro." Karin looked at the girl.

Bambietta stammered. "How do you know his name?"

"Toshiro? We've met before. You also called him Toto-chan and the only person who I know of with a name with the "to" sound would be him. Plus, I could sense that you were heading towards a spot that his rieatsu showed up in, so I knew that he was the person you were trying to help. You shouldn't say that this has nothing to do with me when it does."

"What business do you have helping us?"

"Toshiro is my best friend and you're supposed to help your friends out."

The girl found her face slapped again. "You're _not_ his best friend. I am, so butt out of this. We don't need your help, or the help of your stupid ass brother. If I weren't in a hurry I'd kill you right now for your insolence."


	17. Memory Lag

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Memory Lag~_**

The numb feeling simply wouldn't go away and the fukutaicho of the tenth division felt a headache coming on. She found herself heading back to the forth division and the room he had been in without realizing it, almost as if she hoped that he would be there. Instead, she found herself staring at an empty bed.

Sitting down, her hand brushed up against the bed and she let out a deep sigh. "_Taicho always insisted that he died upon a plain of ice and that he came to Soul Society and wasn't born here just like Hinamori said. I always thought that was true and went along with it, not thinking much about the whole situation._"

"_That's because you didn't want to face the facts if your small taicho was born here._" A certain female zampaktuo spoke in a rather mocking tone.

"_What are you talking about?_"

"_I'm referring to the fact that you could easily be his mother if he died and came to Soul Society because that meant someone else was possibly his mother and was looking for her little one just as much as you were aching for something to take care of to make you forget about your past. Oh wait, you already forgot about your past and this is why we're actually in this mess._"

"_Come on Haineko, I can't help the fact that I don't remember._" Rangiku shook her head at the words her zampaktuo said.

"_Or maybe you choose not to remember._"

"Shut up. My head hurts enough as it is already." The woman blurted the words out loud, not realizing that someone other then herself and her zampaktuo could hear what she said.

"Matsumoto-san, are you having headaches again?" A soft voice came from the doorway of the forth division room.

Rangiku turned and frowned at the intruder. The frown eventually fell and she smiled at the woman. "I'm sorry Unohana Taicho."

"Sorry for what?" The woman came into the room. "If I need to, I can make you a nice tea. I've told you before that while drinking sake will put a curb on those headaches of yours that the pain will just come back."

"You're basically telling me I should take a medicine for my headaches. I really don't want to let anyone know that I've been having these headaches and that they've gotten worse ever since Gin... well, ever since he disappeared."

"Matsumoto Rangiku, your small taicho has been getting very upset with the fact you've been shirking your duties. It used to be that you were very reliable, but as the headaches have gotten worse, so has your behavior. You should simply tell him when he gets back that you've been having these headaches."

"I don't want to worry him. Not to mention I think that he will think that I'm just making another excuse up to get out of the work. I can't concentrate on the papers without having my head spin. I know that taicho is really good at thinking things through, but when I try putting things together my head just hurts."

"What have you been trying to put together now? Perhaps I can help you figure out what you are upset about."

"I doubt it. I was thinking along the lines of how Taicho always, always told me that he wasn't born here, but died on that plain of ice." Rangiku glanced at the ground. "But I always asked him if he was sure because I know that his inner world is a plain of ice. So I kind of had the feeling despite the fact I choose not to admit it that taicho was born here."

"Matsumoto..." Unohana paused, blinking a couple of times. "How can you be sure that he was born here."

"Because he didn't die on a plain of ice."

"That isn't what I meant." The woman let out a deep sigh. "How do you know that he was born here and not the living world. Quincy have the ability to travel between worlds and a shinigami parent could have brought him here, which would explain why he and his sister were separated for so long."

"No... they were born here. I know this because..." Rangiku suddenly paused, moving a hand over one of her eyes. "Actually, I don't know how I know this. Call it woman's intuition. I mean, I know how to deal with him because he is so much like Gin that I can almost think two steps ahead of him, unless he's in one of his tricky moods."

"Matsumoto Fukutaicho... do you understand anything that you're telling me and what your words imply?" The woman went and grabbed another chair.

The busty female suddenly burst into tears. "I hate the idea that taicho is another persons baby. I'm jealous of who ever that woman is. I want so desperately to hold him in my arms, but I have to restrain myself because I know that I'm not that mother. Now, if he comes back I'm going to be even more jealous because he'll be thinking about that mother, even thinking about trying to find her."

"And then there is that little girl that may be his sister. I want to scoop both of them into my arms and tell them that they are safe and that nothing bad will happen to them. But I know that taicho's to old for all of that. But that job belongs to that woman and not me. It isn't fair, particularly since I can't have the family I wanted with Gin."

Unohana stared at the female for a few minutes, before speaking up. "There, there now. I still don't think you understand what you're actually implying. You keep saying you're scared to find out that you aren't their mother and another woman was, but have you given any thought to the possibility of you actually being their mother."

"I would remember..." Rangiku suddenly paused, her mouth snapping shut. Shock spread on her face. "But... I didn't know Gin until after he saved me and we didn't have any children."

"But what is your earliest memory dear?"

"Why, of Gin..." The busty female paused. "My earliest memory is of Gin rescuing me."

"So, is it possible that you knew him from before and that the two of you had children? I know that your medical records say you've given birth before despite the fact you've brushed me off about the subject."

Rangiku's mouth opened and then closed, her throat tightening up. "But..."

"You told me that you couldn't help but notice that Hitsugaya Taicho is like Ichimaru Gin personality wise, not to mention the fact he does share physical traits with the man. It's something that many of the older captains have noticed."

"Yes... but which one of us is the Quincy parent?"


	18. Found Again

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Found Again~_**

Ichigo found himself unable to deny the fact Toshiro was right about it not being a good idea to endanger his family. He watched as the boy began to nod off. "Toshiro... would you rather lie down rather then sitting up?"

Two teal eyes blinked a couple of times. The small Shinigami carefully lay down on his side before curling up into a ball in order to build up some warmth for his small body. Soon he was snoring and Ichigo went to his desk to begin working on his winter homework. He was half way through his math assignment when he suddenly got a strange feeling.

Carefully he looked up, only to find himself pushing his chair back into the closet with a loud crash. "What the hell!"

At his window was a small female around Toshiro's size. The girl's hair was dark and it was rather obvious that she was not at all happy with him. Her nose was pressed up against the window as was her entire face. He found his lip twitching as the girl glared at him and he got the feeling that she wanted to kill him.

"_Seriously... Toshiro told me that he had a sister, but this kid is creepy!_"

"_By the words of one Ichimaru Gin, you yourself are a creepy kid._"

Ichigo let out a deep breath before going to the window and opening up the window. He suddenly found the small female colliding with his chest much like Nel did when she wanted something. Except this female didn't want a hug from him, but instead wanted to cause him some form of bodily harm. The teen found himself covering his head as the small female reigned blows down upon his head.

"Hey, knock it off!" Ichigo found himself finally able to push her off.

"I'm seriously going to kill you Shinigami." The girl glared at him and Ichigo couldn't help but notice that the girls eyes were very much like Toshiro and showed emotion in a similar manner.

The orange haired teen heard a movement from his bed and glanced up. This caused him to suddenly feel a sudden punch to his jaw. "Ouch!" He found himself backing off and clutching is jaw, watching the girl. The female moved to pounce on him again, but this time he was prepared to grab her.

"Kurosaki... it's getting cold. Why is the window open?" Toshiro had moved slightly so he could see the two. The boy blinked a couple of times before speaking up again. "Baba-nee... what are you doing?"

"I'm going to kill him!" The small female stated.

"Toshiro, tell your sister to get off of me all ready." Ichigo commented, suddenly feeling a palm placed onto his mouth. "She is _really _getting on my nerves."

The boy pushed himself up letting out a deep sigh. "Baba-nee... Kurosaki is a friend. He found me where you left me and brought me some place warm." The small female choose to ignore him and his eyebrow twitched. "At least it was warm until you two _morons_ left the window wide open!"

The small female blinked a couple of times before Ichigo pushed her off of him again and went to close the window. As soon as he finished closing it, he found the female pouncing on him again. He finally took a deep breath and took his fist and popped the girl on the head hard. She pulled away, a few tears in her eyes. "That hurt!"

"That's what you get for acting like a little kid." The orange haired teen narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm going to help you guys out."

Bambietta turned to look at her brother. "Nee... Toto-chan..."

"I'm not beating him up for you/" Toshiro let out a deep sigh before breaking into shivers.

Ichigo nodded his head, only to find something clicking. "Wait. I didn't do anything wrong." He then let out a deep sigh. "I'll get you another blanket Toshiro." The boy walked over and began to dig into the closet. "By the way, what is your sister's name?"

He turned around with a rather straight face. Bambietta was choosing to ignore him and instead turn her attention to her brother who had managed to get into a sitting position. She suddenly choose to glomp the boy, causing the boy the boy to flinch. "I'm glad you're allright."

The Substitute Shinigami wasn't expecting what happened next. The small female suddenly locked lips with Toshiro and Ichigo found the corner of his mouth twitching. A gagging sound came from his mouth and he pointed his finger at the two. Bambietta pulled away and Toshiro opened his mouth to say something. However, the small female turned to look at Ichigo. "What's your problem?"

"You... you... you two are sick!" Ichigo blurted the words out and suddenly found the small female hopping off the bed and moving to stick her face into his.

"We aren't doing anything wrong! There is nothing wrong with kissing your family members! You're the one with the problem!"

Toshiro suddenly raised his hand. "Actually, I have a problem with it big time. I told you the _last _time you kissed me. What is even worse is now I _know_ we're siblings."

The small female turned around and glared at him. "So it was fine before because we weren't siblings?"

"Oi!" The small boy stood up despite the fact his head was pounding. "I wasn't at all alright with you barging into my room late at night, then kissing me to prevent me from calling out for the other Shinigami. And then I found out _after _you kissed me that you're find with kissing your male relatives. And..." The small Shinigami suddenly paled. "Oh... no..."

Ichigo watched as Toshiro's face suddenly turned a greenish color. "Toshiro..."

"I had forgotten she had done that..." The boy suddenly found the girl glaring at them.

"There is nothing wrong with me doing that! And I'll do it again thank you!"

"Hentai!"

The substitute hurried over and pulled her off. "Look, I get that it may have been all right for you to kiss your male relatives when you were younger, but you seem to be the same age as my little sisters. So I _really_ think you've moved on from that behavior."

"Don't care!"

"Plus... your making your brother as uncomfortable as Yuzu does when she asks me to take a bath with her. She's twelve, but still..."

"Toto-chan..." Bambietta suddenly got a pleading look in her eyes.

"Hell no!" The boy suddenly found himself moving into a corner.

"Why not!"

"Because I don't change or bathe in front of _anybody_ except for medical purposes! And even if I felt comfortable with doing it in front of males outside of that I would not feel comfortable bathing with you at this age. You're... you're..."

"Yeah, yeah... she's a girl and your a boy. Girls don't have cooties Toshiro."

Bambietta blinked a couple of times. "You think girls have cooties?"

"I don't know what cooties are..."

"But his behavior sure indicates that line of thinking."


	19. Missing

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Missing~_**

Morning came to the ice palace and the occupants found themselves waking up. A figure with dark hair stretched his arms before pushing the covers back. He carefully went about making his bed and then proceeded to get dressed. After taking care of the necessary toiletry issues he headed out of the room. Everything was going normally.

The man stepped over to another door and knocked on it. "Bambietta. It is time to get up if you aren't up already. I know it is your birthday, but that doesn't mean you should sleep in."

Silence greeted the man and he found himself pausing. He knocked on the door again before opening it to peek in. The lights were off in the room and thus he lit the light fixtures in order to see the room. Letting out a deep breath he found the room in disarray and missing the person who was supposed to occupy the room.

While there were signs that the bed had been slept in, there were also signs that she hadn't remained in bed for very long. The bed was unmade, indicating the female had left without doing a rather basic chore. Not that it mattered as the maids that kept the palace cleaned would just do it for her. The small female's pajamas were thrown haphazardly onto the bed, while the bed slippers were in different areas in the room.

The man let out a deep sigh before heading out to find the young female. Breakfast would be served soon and the leader of the Vandenriech felt that being punctual to meals was a very important thing. While he never punished his granddaughter he wouldn't hesitate about lecturing her about it. However, because there was never any punishment Bambietta kept breaking the rule

As he headed through the halls, he could hear the other members of the Vandenreich excited about the birthday celebration that would be going that afternoon. Every so often he would stop and ask if they had seen her, but the only answer he got was a rather amused, "I'm sorry your highness."

Finally, he came to the gate and let out a deep sigh. Turning to one of the people hurrying about, he spoke up. "Could you please check to see if anyone has gone through the gate in the last few hours?"

The man hurried off and came hurtling back with the records. "Apparently Lady Bambietta went through the gate last night. The time was an hour before midnight roughly. The place she went was..."

The dark haired man raised an eyebrow suddenly. "Where did she go?"

"She went to Soul Society..." The man glanced up, his entire body shaking. "Honestly your highness, I didn't know that your niece would go there."

"Sometimes I don't know what is going through that child's mind, but I also had a problem knowing what went through my own brother's." The man spun around on his heels, knowing full well that he would need to report to the information to his father, who would not be pleased. He walked into the man's study and found him reading a book.

"Is Bambietta up and about yet?"

The young man let out a coughing sound. "Oh... she is up alright. She's been up most of the night, not to mention she isn't anywhere within Vandenreich."

The man glanced up, a frown upon his face. "Where did she go?"

"She headed to Soul Society." The man then spoke up. "I could go and do another scouting missing to see what's taken her so long to get back, and if they have captured her I can break her out and return her here."

Juhabach looked at the man, his eyes narrowed and his lips pushed together. The man was biting back his anger. Finally, he choose to speak. "Go. I trust you enough not to get yourself caught. She on the other hand is likely to have done something very childish. I'll think of an appropriate punishment for her when you haul her back here."

The man made a quick bow and headed first to his room in order to grab his clock in order to hide his features. He then headed back to the gate and noticed that the man who had given him the information hadn't gotten over his nervousness of having found out that Bambietta had pulled a stunt. "I'll be going through after her."

"Yes your highness. Please have a safe trip." The other man made a quick bow before the dark haired man disappeared.

Juhabach's son licked his lips as he headed along the path. Upon arriving in Soul Society, he found himself taking a good look around. He ducked behind a wall and ran along the side until he came to the forth division, known from the information they had to be the healing place. The place was one of those his father had deemed as off limits if they ever decided to go through the planned attack on Soul Society.

Ducking under one of the windows and keeping an eye on his surroundings to make sure no one noticed him. A familiar rieatsu touched his senses and he found himself fighting back a gagging sensation due his distaste of the particular woman. Another woman spoke up and he found himself listening.

"How do you know that he was born here and not in the living world? Quincy have the ability to travel between worlds and a Shinigami parent could have brought him here, which would explain why he and his sister were separated for so long."

The man found himself swallowing, remembering the reconnaissance he had done in the past.. "_They know that their child prodigy is related to us? Or did __that__ woman confide her secret to Unohana._"

"No... they were born here. I know this because..." These words from _that _woman caused him to gag again. "Actually, I don't know how I know this. Call it woman's intuition."

"_Liar. You're their mother, so you should know where they were born._"

"I mean, I know how to deal with him because he is so much like Gin that I can almost think two steps ahead of him, unless he's in one of his tricky."

"_Great... a new mini version of my brother._"

"Matsumoto Fukutaicho... do you understand anything that you're telling me and what your words imply?"

The man continued to listen without seeing the two people. Listening caused him to learn the interesting fact that Rangiku had lost her memories, meaning he could easily tell her that the two children weren't hers and that she was imagining it because she wanted his brother to reciprocate her feelings.

Letting out a deep sigh, he quickly moved to another place in order to try and find the actual information he wanted. He came close to a red haired Shinigami and a small female. "I can't believe Shiro-chan decided to escape to the living world with _that_ Quincy. I mean, the idea that they are siblings is absolutely a ridiculous idea. I'm also mad that taicho isn't taking me with him. Shiro-chan is my little brother."

"Hinamori..." The red haired male let out a deep sigh. "Look. The fact is their rieatsu does this weird thing when they are around each other which points to them being twins. Your just mad that he's found his real family."

"She _isn't_ his real family even if they are blood related!" The small female spoke up, her words tumbling out. "I mean, _he_ just met her. I've known him many, many years more then her and I've taken care of him since he was little."

"Fine. I'll leave you to your little delusion and be heading on my way. They are still trying to figure out who is going. Can't really blame your taicho for not wanting to take you on this one. You're likely to do something stupid because of your emotional attachment to Hitsugaya Taicho."

The man let out a deep sigh before heading back to Vandenriech to report in and to plan their strategy out from there. He found himself heading back to the study. His father looked up again. "So?"

"I learned a few things. First, I found out that woman has no memory of the children being hers. Second, Bambietta was captured, but apparently her brother broke her out and they both headed to the living world. What are your orders?"

"I want you to take a small group and request that they come home. Bambietta is trying my nerves today."

"Both of them?"

The man snapped his book shut. "Both of them."


	20. Sugar Twins

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Sugar Twins~_**

When a light dusting of snow began to fall on the playing field Karin knew it was time to call soccer practice off. She tucked her soccer ball into her bag and walked over to her bag and pulled on warmer clothing on top of the sweaty uniform she was wearing. She found herself blowing on her hands as it was starting to get cold, and despite having a good work out.

She then headed towards the near by grocery store to get herself something warm to drink.. She didn't expect to run into a small female coming out of the store with obviously stolen goods as the girl wasn't using the plastic bag that the items normally came in. Karin narrowed her eyes at the female, her lips pushing together tightly.

She found herself telling the girl off despite the fact she didn't even know her. A rather irritating conversation went under way. To her surprise, the girl said something rather surprising. "No, I mean how can you see me."

"_Well, she doesn't feel like a Hollow, and while there is bits and pieces of shinigami floating about her, it isn't like the shinigami I've met_." Karin found herself frowning at the girl and their conversation continuing. Who ever this girl was, Karin was far from impressed with her snotty behavior. Not to mention she couldn't figure out why she was so defensive.

Eventually the girl spun away and tried taking off. The dark haired Kurosaki Twin shook her head. "_Good riddance. She was rather annoying me._"

Karin paused though, sensing a rather familiar rieatsu. "Toshiro?"

Shaking her head, she decided to head in the direction she felt his reiatsu coming from. "_I haven't seen him in awhile. I wonder why he hasn't tried visiting me when he's been in town. I mean, he isn't just friends with Ichi-nii, so not visiting simply because Ichi-nii couldn't see him is just plain weird._"The small female paused in her though and shook her head again.

"_No... it may have felt like he would be torturing Ichi-nii if he showed up in his gigai form. He couldn't have known Ichi-nii needed someone to acknowledge that he mattered to the shinigami._" Karin glanced up suddenly, her eyes blinking a couple of times as she looked at the place. Letting out a deep breath, she found herself blinking a couple of times. "_Why would Toshiro be in a place like this?_"

She walked forward, letting out a deep breath. "_Ichi-nii's got his powers back, so really the idea that I'm supposed to help protect Karakura Town feels like a lie."_

Stepping over to the door, she found herself running into the female again. The fact she had shown up caused the girl to suddenly drop her supplies. The look on the girls face became angry and she snapped at Karin. "What have you done to him?"

The black haired Kurosaki twin blinked a couple of times. "_She's referring to Toshiro of course, but how does she happen to know him?" _She glanced around the other female and realized that Toshiro had in fact been there, but his rieatsu was disappearing. "_She has medicine with her, so he isn't well. Ichi-nii must have found him then." _

Again she found herself arguing with the girl, even getting slapped twice. Karin found herself holding back her temper as she found herself unsure of the girls abilities. Eventually though the girl did in fact take off on her, likely heading back to the house. Letting out a deep sigh, she headed on back despite the fact she didn't want to know what kind of trouble her brother had gotten into this time.

Stepping through the door she was in time to see Yuzu heading out to go shopping. She let out a deep sigh. "Yuzu... you need to know that we have a couple of quests for lunch today, so you'll want to pick up some extra food."

"All right."

Karin then watched to make sure that Yuzu was far enough away from the house so that if a fight broke out upstairs, she wouldn't be able to walk in on a bunch of invisible fighting. She then closed the door and headed upstairs and knocked on the door. The door opened up and she found herself face to face with the small female, who frowned at her.

"Oh... its you."

"What do you mean it is you. You don't know any of Kurosaki's friends." Karin could hear Toshiro's voice coming from the place where Ichigo's bed was.

"I met his sister." The girl turned around at that point and looked right at him, frowning as she did so.

"Which one?" Ichigo spoke up.

"You have more then one?"

"They're twins like you and Toshiro are."

Karin watched as the girl turned to look at her again, her lips pushing together before slamming the door in her face. The small female found herself raising her eyebrow. "Seriously, what is your problem?"

There came a scuffling sound from the other side of the door. She could hear her brother speaking up, his voice irritated from the way the girl was treating him. "Look, I'm getting really sick and tired of your bratty attitude." The door swung open and Ichigo let his sister in. "It's like you have Toshiro's bratty personality on over drive, except he isn't inclined to being touchy feely."

Ichigo and the girl were facing in her direction and she saw Toshiro flinch when he heard the substitute spill out of his mouth the words that he did. His eyes glanced over at them and they were wide in horror. "_Why do I get the feeling that Toshiro is naturally a touchy feely person but won't do it unless he knows a person well enough to know he won't be rejected for such feelings. I can't blame him with the way his sister acts._"

"Yeah... but..."

"She's done nothing wrong, right?" Ichigo snapped the words out. "Plus, she has medical training so she can see if Toshiro needs any medicine."

Karin watched as the boy's cheeks suddenly turned red. "_You are so lucky your sister isn't watching._"

"Actually... Kurosaki, Unohana gave me a look over."

"You should have Urahara give him a look over. By the time you get back in gigai you'll find that Yuzu has lunch ready for us. Plus, you'll likely want to feel him in on whatever is going on." The small female turned to leave only to find herself pausing when the girl spoke up.

"If he is a Shinigami, then I won't trust him."

Karin spun around and glared at him. "Your problem isn't that you don't trust shinigami. The only person you trust is your brother, who I'll remind you is a Shinigami."

"Actually, he is a Quincy and Shinigami hybrid."

"A what?" Karin found herself blinking a couple of times. "You mean you have a parent who is a Shinigami and a parent who is a Quincy? Like Uryu-nii is a Quincy?"

"Yeah... pretty much."

"I have so many questions, but I know better then to ask my brother who likes to hide things and a Shinigami Taicho who by the rules can't explain anything to me." Karin then spun around. As she closed the door, she heard part of the conversation between Ichigo and Toshiro.

"She got us both there."

"No Kurosaki. She's actually fine with my explanation that I am a captain and can't give her information because of Soul Society's rules. I haven't seen her in awhile, but she told me that she's mad at you for hiding things from her despite the fact you rather could feel her in. You told your friends didn't you?"

"Yeah, but..."


	21. Spicy Twins

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Spicy Twins~_**

Two bright teal eyes watched as the two dark haired females interacted with each other. "_I swear those two don't like each other, but I can't figure out the life of me why they aren't getting along._"

"_Young master, you don't exactly get along with your sister._" Hyorinmaru said, his voice indicating he found the situation found humorous. "_Keep in mind you aren't comfortable with the fact that she's kissed you twice._"

"She got us both there." The comment from the substitute caused him to glanced up, blinking a couple of times.

A smile spread across his face. "No Kurosaki. She's actually fine with my explanation that I am a captain and can't give her information because of Soul Society's rules. I haven't seen her in awhile, but she told me that she's mad at you for hiding things form her despite the fact you rather could feel her in. You told your friends didn't you?"

"Yeah, but..." There came a pause from Ichigo before he spoke up again. "...she didn't _see_ Aizen."

"That isn't the point and you know it." Toshiro shook his head at the shinigami. He then looked over at his sister, meaning to ask her what she thought she was doing trying to argue with Karin. He was surprised to see her in deep thought. "Is something wrong Baba-nee?"

The girl turned then to look him square in the eye. "Are you _really _a captain of the Gotei Thirteen? You aren't wearing a haori like I've heard about."

Toshiro opened his mouth to respond, only to have Ichigo speak up for him. "He's a captain all right. He doesn't get much respect for his age."

"Yeah... your one to talk as you've never used my proper title." The small taicho felt his mouth pushing together. "That is besides the point as I pretty much lost the rank of captain when I helped my sister escape like I did. I mean, that makes me a traitor."

Bambietta's frown deepened when Ichigo shook his head and spoke. "I knew you had gone and done _it_ again. I'll try to run interference for you two, but we really need to find a place for you to go. I'll ask Uryu if he can help you guys out. I mean, the Shinigami know where I live, but they don't know where he lives. I'll give him a call when we get to Urahara's. We need to get you two a couple of gigai before the people from Soul Society show up."

The substitute stood up and the two children followed him through the door. Bambietta continued to frown but not voice her feelings about what she heard. Upon arriving at the shop, Urahara snapped his fan shut. "Ahh... young Hitsugaya. What can I do for you today?"

"Have you heard from Soul Society yet?" Toshiro spoke up, glancing at the entrance warily.

"No I haven't." The man spoke up. Ichigo briefly surmised what had occurred and the man frowned. "I am more then willing to give you two gigai and give you a quick medical check up. However, this is not a good place for either of you to stay. Nor is Ichigo's place. As he's pointed out, the best place for you to go is to head over to Uryu's after lunch. Though I don't know if he'll appreciate the situation."

Ichigo walked over to the store phone and began to dial the Quincy's phone number. It wrung and Uryu answered the phone. "_Do you need something Urahara?_"

"I'm not Urahara."

"I_'m going to hang up now." _The other teen seemed irritated.

"Actually, I need your help. Would it be possibly for Toshiro to stay at your place for a bit of time until we can get some things straightened out? His sister as well?"

"_Kurosaki... may I remind you that I am not allowed to help the Shinigami As much as I like Toshiro, I will have to ask my father if I can make an exception because he is technically a child._" There was a moment of silence. "_Wait... did you just say his sister as well? Do you mean Hinamori? I've met her briefly and I am honestly not very fond of her._"

"Why?"

"_Since you haven't met her you don't know how apposed to change she is. Her new taicho struggled with getting her to trust him and I only think she's fine now because she's had to deal with him every day. She does not like the fact that I am a Quincy._"

"Oh, well I can see her having a problem with Toshiro's real sister then." Ichigo spoke up. Toshiro glanced up from where he was sitting for the examination and frowned.

"_Real sister?_"

"Since your a Quincy you're obligated to help other Quincy even if they are a hybrid between a Shinigami and a Quincy right? Which is a loophole to the promise you made your father, right?"

Another bit of silence came over the phone. "_I'll still be talking to my father about this one after they get to my place. Even if it is a loophole, it would be better for me to get them to his place if possible, and since they're both I'm assuming half Quincy he'll perchance be willing to help. I don't know for sure though._"

"Good. I'll bring them over after lunch."

"_No, I'll come and pick them up. As soon as I have them you need to wash your hands of this and let me take care of the situation this time. Any Soul Reaper I meet up with I can argue that they are causing a political infraction by attacking the two and demanding they be returned._"

"Can that actually work?"

"_Some of the Shinigami are dumb enough to believe it while those who aren't will likely side with being politically friendly. _"

Ichigo hung up the phone and turned towards the two children. Urahara helped Toshiro pull his uniform back on. "So, you guys are going to go and stay with Uryu. He's a Quincy, so..."

"No." Bambietta frowned at the three.

Toshiro blinked a couple of times. "I don't get why you don't trust anybody."

"Hitsugaya..." Urahara clapped his fan shut. "I don't think your sister has trust issues. I think she wants to keep you to herself. The two of you are twins after all and they have always shared a special spiritual bond. The two of you have been separated for some time, so it is no wonder that she is getting defensive about this."

Bambietta continued to glare at them.

"Not to mention she was giving me dirty looks when I was examining you, so..."

"You really are a hentai." Toshiro piped up. "That isn't how a brother and sister's relationship is supposed to work."

The words caused Ichigo's eyebrow to suddenly twitch. "And I thought my family is messed up."

"I am not a pervert!" Bambietta spoke up. "I'm a lot more comfortable with the others being around you. He looks like a pedophile."

The corner of Urahara's mouth suddenly twitched. "I don't have a fetish for little kids. My true love is a cute little black kitty cat."

"So your into bestiality!"

"If you met Yourichi you would understand why it isn't." Ichigo spoke up, waving his hand.

"But I prefer her in her kitty form."

"You're purposefully being creepy now old man." Toshiro stood up to leave. "We're going to stay with Uryu, Baba-nee."

"Not unless you apologize for calling me a hentai." The small female glared at him, her mouth turing up in a frown.

"Excuse me?"

Urahara let out a deep sigh. "Baba-chan and Hitsugaya. I say yoy both apologize for this misunderstanding the two of you have had without uttering a word. Baba-chan, there are boundaries you should not cross. Hitsugaya, she honestly doesn't have a crush on her. As for sharing your brother with other people, that just means you get to make new friends, right? How about some candy?"

"I like candy!" The small female suddenly smiled, causing Toshiro to flinch.

Urahara saw a look, before turning to the dark haired girl. "I'm also going to add the fact your brother doesn't know how to actually act his age and the thought of acting like a little kid scares him a big deal. This is despite the fact a _lot _of the captains who are twice his age or more feel completely fine with acting like a child. Including myself, a form captain."

Bambietta frowned again. "So your an ex-captain like Toto-chan? Why would he do something crazy like helping me escape when he's more likely to face execution for what he's done."

"Family is important. We should get going."

"Hold it." Urahara's face became serious. "Hitsugaya, you have a bad head injury, so you'll want to be careful about participating in any fights. Ichigo, let Uryu as he'll know what to do medically for this kind of situation."


	22. Not So Nice

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Not So Nice~_**

The three headed back to the Kurosaki household as it continued to snow. Toshiro glanced behind him every so often at the footsteps they were leaving that were being filled with brand new snow flakes. They stopped at a corner and the shinigami found himself lifting his feet from the place he stopped and stepped back to watch it feel.

Ichigo felt the corner of his mouth twist up. "I thought your zampaktuo was an ice zampaktuo Toshiro. How come you're so enthralled with snow?"

"It is rather fleeting, just like a good deal of things in my life." The small boy suddenly glanced up to see Bambietta looking at him, yet another frown on her face. "Look, I am not going to even _try _to placate you. I learned the hard way recently that all it does is make me physically ill."

"Its not that. What did you mean by the fact a good deal of things are fleeting for you."

The three started moving again and Toshiro placed his hands in his pocket. "I don't like talking about it. Maybe I'll be in the mood to tell you some other time."

The three arrived at the house and Ichigo opened the door and headed in. He could see that the table was set and a nice lunch was spread. Yuzu hurried over with a smile on her face. "Uryu-nii said he would be joining us well. Who are the other two guests?"

Toshiro stepped from behind Ichigo and Yuzu let out a squeal of delight before glomping him around the neck, causing the boy to flinch. The smile on her face faded upon seeing Bambietta and a horrified look appeared on her face. The small female hurried over to where Karin was already sitting. She bent over and whispered into her sister's ear. "Karin... did you know that Toshiro-kun is cheating on you."

"I thought we told you we weren't dating." The dark haired Kurosaki twin kept her tone low so as to not upset their guests.

The white haired child suddenly felt his sister leaning on his back, whispering into his ear. "Hey, I think that brown haired girl has a crush on you."

The small male blinked a couple of times before turning to give his sister a look that declared the fact he thought she was crazy. "No... she doesn't have a crush on me."

"Then why did she react so negatively to me?" Bambietta asked.

"Perhaps it has to do with the fact you haven't exactly been trying to be friends with people." Ichigo walked over to the lunch table and sat down. "Thank you for lunch Yuzu."

"You're welcome Ichi-nii." Yuzu suddenly beamed at her brother, a huge smile on her face. The small female then turned to look at the two quests, a frown on her face as they both sat down. Toshiro glanced at her warily while Bambietta watched the two.

"_I didn't want to say it, but my sister said something creepy again._"

"_I think young master she was implying the fact that Yuzu doesn't know the two of you are related and thus has come to the assumption that you are cheating with your sister._"

"_Now why would she think something like that. I'm not dating anyone right now._"

The small brown haired twin's mouth suddenly spread across her face and a wicked glint flickered across her eyes. "Toshiro... why are you cheating on my sister?"

The small taicho's jaw dropped while Karin suddenly slapped her hands over her eyes and leaned on her hands. "Yuzu... I told you we aren't dating."

Bambietta blinked a couple of times before speaking up, an overly mischievous look on her face. "We've kissed twice."

Toshiro's head hit the table in frustration while Karin peeked out from the fingers covering her eyes, the one eye that showed widening from the shock. Ichigo watched with a rather amused look on his face while Yuzu's face turned a bright red and her cheeks puffed out. Her hand took the utensil she was going to dish the food up with and moved to bring it down on Toshiro's head.

The substitute grabbed it, suddenly frowning. "Yuzu... this is Toshiro's sister."

"Oh... that's different." Yuzu piped up just as Toshiro lifted his head up, his eyes out of focus and his cheeks flushed up. "So... if my sister and your brother marry, that means you and I will be sisters, right?"

At first Toshiro's eye twitched, and then the corner of his mouth. He then crossed his arms and buried his head into his arms and let out a groan. Bambietta frowned at first, but a smile spread on her face. "Yeah. That would make us family."

The corner of Ichigo's mouth twitched while Karin continued to stare though the fingers on her hand. She then looked at Toshiro and removed her fingers from her face. "Don't worry Toshiro. If a family member kisses you it doesn't count as your first kiss."

Toshiro glanced up again. "That isn't the problem as I already got that. My problem is the fact she thinks it is all right to kiss me on the lips because we're siblings."

"Well, isn't it all right?" Yuzu spoke up.

Ichigo suddenly crossed his hands across his chest in annoyance. "No absolutely not."

The brown haired twin glanced at her sister for an answer and Karin let out a sigh. "No, it isn't."

"Perhaps I should ask dad..." Yuzu piped at.

"That old goat. He'd likely say it was all right to kiss him but not Ichi-nii, but that wouldn't be right at all."

Toshiro's attention perked up. "Speaking of your father, where is he?"

"He called saying he had a business meeting." Yuzu sighed. "He's bad about doing that when Ichi-nii's friends come around. He doesn't do it with any of our friends who aren't also Ichi-nii's."

The small Shinigami turned to look Ichigo in the face. "You told me your father is a Shinigami. Exactly who is he?"

This time Karin's mouth dropped and her hands slammed against the table, causing everyone at the table to flinch and look at her. Ichigo felt the corner of his mouth twitch. "Hey... Toshiro. Not only is Yuzu here at the table and not able to understand half of the conversation, Karin actually didn't _know_ that dad is a former Shinigami until you blurted it out."

"Ichi-nii... what else are you _not_ telling me about dad?" Karin's slammed her head down.

"That is it as he hasn't bothered to tell me anything else. As I was telling Toshiro, since he is a Shinigami, it is possible that our mother was a Quincy."

"I already _knew_ mom was a Quincy because Uryu-nii was a Quincy." Karin snapped the words out.

"That makes absolutely no sense at all." Ichigo blinked a couple of times. "How is mother related to Uryu?"

"She's his aunt!" Karin piped up.

Yuzu blinked a couple of times. "Even I knew that Uryu-nii was our cousin. Remember, he went to Grandpa Rin's funeral."

"Don't bother Yuzu. He doesn't remember." The small female snapped the words out.

"Well... that is a revelation I didn't expect." Toshiro stated just as the doorbell rang. Glancing up, he found himself frowning. "Speaking of which, he's here."

Yuzu smiled and hurried over to the door. When she came back, she was clinging onto the Quincy's arm while the young man frowned. "Ichi-nii doesn't remember Grandpa Rin's funeral."

Ichigo felt his eyebrow twitch. "Uryu... can you explain why my sisters think that our mother is your aunt?"

"How should I know?"

Yuzu turned and looked at Karin. "Now he's being mean too."

"Perhaps both of their memories were erased?" Toshiro spoke up, shaking his head as he did.

Uryu pushed up his glasses. "Kurosaki, do you have a picture of your mother that I could see?"

Ichigo hiked his thumb and everyone looked up at the overly large poster on the wall. "How can you miss that?"

"I thought it was a picture of a movie star that your father idolized as he is that crazy." Uryu sighed. "But now that I think about it, that person does look like my aunt Masaki."

"See!" Karin stated. "So I wasn't keeping anything from you while you kept the fact that dad was a Shinigami from me!"

"I don't know what is going on, but here is some food." Yuzu spoke up, beaming as she did so as her part of the argument was solved.

"So... they're also children born of darkness." Bambietta suddenly commented, her lips pushing together. Four sets of eyes turned to stare at her while Yuzu continued to smile and dish up the food.

"I take it your referring to those who have both Quincy and Shinigami blood in them?" Uryu frowned. "They are called that because they are seen as impure? It's not a term I've heard from my father."

The small female frowned, but before she could say something Toshiro spoke up again. "You still haven't told me who your father is Kurosaki."

"He could have changed his name Toshiro." Ichigo frowned at the boy.

"His name is Kurosaki Isshin if that helps Toshiro." Karin sat down and began to eat.

The boy's eyes were narrowed for a few minutes. Ichigo slapped a fist into the palm of his other hand. "I forgot. His zampaktuo has a similar name to mine. It's called..."

"Engestu." Toshiro spoke up taking a bite of food. "I know exactly who he is, and if he hasn't told you anything about himself then I am quite sure he of all people has his reasons. While Ishida's described him as being a fool, he is far from it and only plays the roll of the fool to put people off his guard. He is highly intelligent and is... was considered one of Soul Society's child geniuses."

"You act like you know our daddy." Yuzu spoke up.

"He hasn't made me make a promise to keep who he is a secret. When you guys see him again, please tell my former taicho that I _know_ full well that he is your father and there is no point hiding from me anymore when I come over. Also, you can tell him that his sister is getting tired of running the Shiba clan and that she is _not_ the head of the family, nor are the other two brothers."

Ichigo felt his jaw dropping, while Uryu's eyes widened. "You mean that I am related to Ganju? No way in hell!"

"Actually... that explains a lot about your family Kurosaki..." Uryu pushed his glasses up.


	23. Lost Puppies

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Lost Puppies~_**

The look on Ichigo's face indicating he was lost in thought didn't go away even after lunch was finished. Uryu grabbed the dishes for Yuzu and carried them into the kitchen. While the brown haired twin was occupied with starting in on them, he approached Bambietta and Toshiro. "We had best get going before any of the Shinigami from Soul Society show up."

The three headed out after bidding the Kurosaki family good day and headed over to Uryu's apartment. The young man walked in front of him while the twins followed behind him. "Why did you think that us being called children born of darkness is a derogatory term?"

The young man glanced over his shoulder before turning it back. "Because it is used in reference to a group of hybrids and it wasn't created by the hybrids themselves like the terms Viazard and Arrancar."

Bambietta shook her head at him. "That's what bothers me, because..."

A sudden crackling sound was heard and Uryu found himself suddenly frowning. "Those aren't Shinigami."

Toshiro moved his hand to his pocket and popped a soul pill into his mouth so that he could pop out of his body. He felt Bambietta grab his arm as he reached for the hilt of his blade. Uryu moved to ready his bow and arrows, only to find himself pushed to the ground by a few in strange white clothing.

"Do you really think that it is honorable for one Quincy to attack another Quincy?" A voice came from behind Toshiro and he could feel his sister's hands tighten around his arm. "Why don't you just come on home young lady?"

A hot breath was felt near his ear as Bambietta spoke up. "No."

"Excuse me."

"I'm not leaving Toto-chan behind." The small female stated, her lips pushing together tightly.

"That Shinigami brat?" One of the Quincy spoke up with a great deal of disdain.

"Watch your tongue." The man behind them snapped the words out, the irritation in his voice growing. "Don't worry, he will be coming with us."

"That isn't what I mean." Bambietta's tone sounded pleading.

"Excuse me?"

"She means we're going to be staying in the world of the living." Toshiro spoke up.

"You think you can stop us from taking you?" Another one of the Quincy that had showed up choose to speak. "We're strong enough to bring all three of you with us."

The small Shinigami found himself swallowing, but he stood his ground and refused to budge. The person from behind them let out a deep sigh. "Since you leave me no choice, I'll provide a little bit of pressure and an incentive to come with us."

Toshiro suddenly felt his eyes bulge as he felt the sudden flare in the man's reiatsu. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't have had any effect on him, but he found that the back of his head where he had hit it earlier that morning was suddenly throbbing painfully. He found himself suddenly pushed to his knees as Bambietta was forced to let him go.

"We're not going back!"

"Vandenriech is your home as well as his."

"You lied to me when you told me that Soul Society killed mommy, daddy and..."

"I didn't lie to you. I told you that Soul Society took away your family and that your father is dead." The man snapped the words out. Toshiro felt footsteps as the man approached him.. The man went on one knee and carefully disarmed Toshiro, proceeding to tie Hyorinmaru to his side. He then wrapped his arms around the boy in an effort to lift him to a sitting position.

"Your highness... that child is a Shinigami."

"Actually, this little one is a child of darkness." The man stated as he helped Toshiro up. "So don't speak ill of him."

"You can't take them!" Uryu glared from the position that he was pinned down from.

"Should we take him with us and kill him."

"No..." The man spoke up. "I want him to pass a message for me onto Soul Society. Soul Society may want nothing to do with the children of darkness, but Vandenriech is a safe haven for them. If Soul Society comes after them it will be taken as an act of war"

It was then that Uryu found himself knocked unconscious. The next thing he knew he was waking up to a flash light being shown in his eye and a very familiar face looking down at him. Uryu opened his mouth. "You have a lot of explaining to do father."

"Excuse me? I'm not the one who needs to explain something to his kids because I am not keeping any secrets."

"You're referring to Kurosaki Isshin and his family." Uryu sat up. "I'm not talking about you keeping secrets from me, I'm talking about information you haven't yet told me. Did you know that their were Quincy still alive?"

The man pulled back to sit in his chair. "I had an idea that they could still be alive, but I also couldn't be sure either. Isshin told me he had a feeling they were still around., but the Quincy here in the living world had cut ourselves off from them. A few showed up here randomly that we couldn't tie back to any family. My mother, your mother."

"In other words you were in denial that they were still around. Why?"

"Because the Quincy we're talking about aren't like those of us from the living world. In truth, the Quincy _used_ to be part of Soul Society, but a war broke out due to the fact the Quincy hated the fact our family members were being killed off by Hollow. Didn't you ever think about why we Quincy wanted to kill Hollow despite the fact any soul from the living world would end up going to Soul Society and thus destroying the Hollow would destroy them?"

"So you're saying that the Quincy were once souls who were not happy with the fact they would not ever be able to see their family members again." Uryu folded his arms across his chest. "I am now under the impression that the words _children born of darkness_ isn't referring to the hybrid from Quincy and Shinigami."

"Actually, it has been so long you might as well call them hybrids. Originally they were called pure ones because they used to be the children who were born with the ability to learn both Quincy and Shinigami technique. When they were separated there was no more mingling of blood lines and each side had less and less who crossed over to the other side, though there are a few born who would do better learning the other technique style."

"But where do those words come from?"

"It comes from the fact the Shinigami wished to eradicate the fact Quincy ever existed. They didn't want the newer generations to know the rather huge mistake they made. This is why the Shinigami struggle against the Arrancar, their captains are not trained in Quincy techniques as well as Shinigami technique. I've heard from Isshin that he feels that the children born of darkness would now be safe in Soul Society now that things have changed."

"Yet they don't think so."

"What do you mean?"

"One of the captains, Hitsugaya Toshiro is a child born of darkness and they have him along with his twin sister. They told me to tell Soul Society will be a declaration of war."

"That's funny when kidnapping Toshiro is a declaration of war," said a third voice.


	24. Kingdom Come

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Kingdom Come~_**

"Soul Society may want nothing to do with the children of darkness, but Vandenriech is a safe haven for them. If Society comes after them it will be taken as an act of war."

The words that his captor said caused the white haired child to close his eyes and think about what he had in fact said. "_I don't understand why 'children born of darkness' would be safe there compared to Soul Society or anywhere else. We're hybrids and children thrown away for our bloodlines, so why is it he is acting like it isn't something bad._"

Toshiro felt a hand underneath one of his armpits tugging him along with him as he frowned. He then opened his eyes to look at the man in charge. The person had dark hair and a cut on his lip. "_They called him 'your highness', so he must be someone of great importance. It also seems that Baba-nee is upset about him. He said something about our father being dead, but not our mother._"

He felt a tug and he found himself moving through a portal with the people. He then found himself traveling through a dark area and into a place that contained walls made of ice. His teal eyes blinked a couple of times and he paused in his step and watched as various people hustled about the structure. He found himself receiving a quick tug on his sleeve.

"Come." The man tugged on his arm and began to walk away, only to pause when Bambietta didn't follow. He turned to look at her. "Something the matter?"

"You're going to see him, aren't you?"

"Where else do you think I am going?"

The small female made a move to hurry off, but the man reached over and quickly grabbed her by the back of her her clothing. He saw the scowl that passed over his sisters face, but simply went along with the situation, not at all sure where things were heading. He found himself walking through a few doorways, many of which were ranked by guards, who nodded their head at the man leading them around.

Finally he came to a door and let go of Toshiro's arm and knocked on the door, refusing to let go of the back of Bambietta's clothing. A man's voice came from inside the room for them to enter and the white haired child found himself entering a vast study with books. His eyes went wide at seeing the collection. He then noticed a rather large man standing there reading a book.

"You are free to read any book that you wish." The man closed the book, placing a bookmark in. "Welcome home Toshiro."

The boy found himself blinking a couple of times. He suddenly felt a hand patting the top of his head and turned his head to look at the man that had brought him in. "This is the leader of the Vandenreich, which is what we choose to call ourselves. Your to call him majesty when around others, but when it is just the family you can call him grandfather."

Toshiro felt his chest suddenly beating fast and he turned to look at the man. "_The leader of the Vandenreich is our grandfather?_"

He found himself glancing at the ground. Bambietta let out a deep sigh. "Except if you forget to not call him that in front of people he doesn't care." The silence that greeted them caused her to move over to him. "Toto-chan... is something the matter?"

"Bambietta, leave your brother to think." The man spoke up. "What were you thinking taking off during the night like you did? And heading to Soul Society and getting caught?"

"You're always planning the parties and stuff for my birthday. I wanted to do something, so I decided to break some stuff because Soul Society took mama, papa and Toto-chan away." The girl frowned at him, crossing her arms across her chest.. "I've already decided what the best birthday present this year is getting Toto-chan back. And I got it myself."

"Bambietta, why don't you go with your uncle and prepare for tonight's party with the other children. I would like to speak with your brother and explain some things to him." The female frowned, but he waved her off. The man then pulled out a seat and pointed to another. "Have a seat Toshiro."

The boy sat down folding his arms across his chest. He choose not to speak despite the questions he had for the man. "I'll keep it simple to start off with. You are the son of my eldest male child. He choose to leave this place with your mother. Your uncle was able to bring Bambietta back, but your father was adamant about making it so that they wouldn't return and thus hid you from us after his twin brother had left with your sister so we couldn't find you until recently."

"Why would my father leave here? And wouldn't that make both of our parents Quincy? That would mean that we're not hybrids"

The man frowned. "Your mother was brought here from Soul Society. He wished to return her home. I don't blame him for doing that, but he was also my heir and his leaving was not a good thing for us. However, any attempt to retrieve you would cause problems even after we've received news that your father was dead."

"Who was he?"

"I'll answer that and your other questions at a later time. We have been making preparations for your and Bambietta's birthday."

"_How the hell does he know what day we were born in unless we were separated as soon as we were born?_" Toshiro frowned at the man.

"Despite the fact we haven't planned for you to join us, I wish for you to join us."

"I decline." The boy pushed his lips together and glared at the man.

"I'm not giving you an option. I know that you aren't celebrating your birthday with the friends you've made in Soul Society, but you'll have to make due. This is your home."

"See... that is the thing. I _don't_ celebrate my birthday. The idea that people want to even celebrate it is unsettling. I'm also not good with socializing with others. I'm not going to be comfortable, not to mention my head hurts from when Baba... Bambietta knocked me to the ground."

"It is all right for you to call her Baba-nee. I have the feeling you were calling her that because you didn't know her first name."

Toshiro glanced away, a frown spreading across his face. "I'm used to calling everyone by their last name."

"She's your blood sister. You aren't supposed to be formal with family." The man leaned forward onto his hands. "I'll make a deal with you. I will hold off announcing that you are Bambietta's twin brother for now. Go to the party because your sister will want you to be there. I'll tell her not to let anyone know you're her brother. By going to the party you can get used to how our society works."

"You're not going to give me a choice are you?"

"No. You'll need to change out of your clothing." The man stated, just as the door opened. Toshiro glanced up to see his uncle and the man nodded his head at his son. "I want you to take Toshiro to your brother's old room. There is a chance some of his old clothing may fit, and if need be it can be taken in a bit."

Toshiro turned to leave, only to hear one more thing from the man. "You coming to the party will be a good thing for you as you'll be attending classes with the children you meet there. They aren't all the children who will be going to class with you, but it will help you get used to being around them."

The small shinigami found himself gritting his teeth together in frustration.


	25. Of The Choosen

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Of the Chosen~_**

A brush flipped in Shinji's hand as he looked at his list, frowning as he did so. He leaned on one hand and he wasn't in a good mood. "Nee... Hirako Taicho."

The man glanced up to see his fukutaicho looking at him as she played with her fingers. "I take it that your still wanting to go." A smile spread on her face and she opened her mouth to thank him, only to have him interrupt her and wave her off. "The answer is still no. When your around your little brother you're way to distracted."

"But I've _got _to go rescue him!"

"Hitsugaya Taicho doesn't _need_ rescuing. He can very well take care of himself." The man tapped his papers, his decision finally made. He thought back to when Yamamoto had summoned him to his office and his small fukutaicho followed on his heels like a little lost puppy. While this behavior was cute in little kids, he found that it was one of those things about his fukutaicho that annoyed him.

"I want you to send messages to the fukutaicho of the sixth, ninth and thirteenth divisions and the third and fifth seat of the eleventh division." The man stood up. "I'll be meeting them at the gate."

Momo's eyes grew wide and her mouth formed into a pout. "Please?"

"No. I expect them to meet me at the gate within the next half-hour or I'll be leaving without them. And no... forgetting to send a message to one of them or doing something to prevent them from arriving in time will _not_ open up a spot for you on my team. I want you taking care of the paperwork until I get back."

The small female moved over to her desk to write the messages. "Shiro-chan goes everywhere with his fukutaicho."

"Shiro-chan's relationship with his fukutaicho isn't just professional while ours is." Shinji added a whine to his tone, mocking her. He then changed tones. "Seriously though, each captain has a different relationship with their fukutaicho. You and I still need to get used to each other. So please knock off the complains. It is nauseating and unfitting of someone who is supposed to be a fukutaicho."

The man headed to the gate and was soon joined by those he selected. He turned towards them, frowning as he did. "Officially Hitsugaya Taicho has been labeled a traitor... again." He stuck a finger in his ear and began to roll his eyes. "Our job is to capture him and the Quincy that is with him. We are to avoid killing them."

"Exactly why am I here?" Ikkaku let out an irritated sound.

"That's because having you along will make things interesting and I get your partner as well." The man let out a deep sigh, before turning to head through the gate. They found themselves appearing over Karakura Town and he glanced over at Ichigo's house. "Spread out and see what you can discover. Feel free to beat up any Hollow you meet Madarame. It will make our job easier."

He then found himself heading over to Kurosaki's household to speak with the substitute. He landed on the windowsill and knocked. A small lion stuffed animal came to the window and pressed his face against the window. While this was amusing, he found himself knocking again. The lion slid the window open.

"What do you want. If you're looking for Hitsugaya Taicho, he isn't here." The lion spoke up, glaring at the Viazard."

Shinji found himself shaking his head as he slipped into the room. It was right then that Ichigo came into his room. The orange haired teen at first didn't notice that a stranger in his room, but his head suddenly jerked up and his eyebrow began to twitch. "Seriously... what is it with you guys and not being able to use the front door?"

The man simple stared at him. "I'm looking for Hitsugaya Taicho and someone who was with him."

"I don't know anything so you might as well move on and look elsewhere. I have homework to do and hunting down Hollows chews a chunk out of my school work." Ichigo sat down and leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

"I didn't tell Kon who he was looking for, but he knew I was looking for Hitsugaya."

The substitute suddenly got up and grabbed the plushie mod, pulling on the creatures face. "Kon! Seriously!"

It was then that a small figure came through the window. "Ichigo, I need to tell you... oh! Hirako Taicho."

"Yo!" Shinji held up a hand. "Apparently we have the same idea."

Rukia glanced at Ichigo and then back towards the taicho, before hiding her hands behind her back. Ichigo let out a deep sigh. "Seriously though... Toshiro isn't here and even if he was I wouldn't let you haul him back to Soul Society with whoever this friend of his is."

It was then that everyone felt a fluctuation of rieatsu and Shinji glanced up, frowning. "So we have more Quincy."

"_More_ Quincy? Seriously... I was very sure Uryu was the last one, and then Toshiro comes waltzing in here with that sister of his and he tells me he is a hybrid. So I shouldn't be surprised that there are more, but _don't_ you think that Toshiro and his sister _might_ be in danger not just from you guys, but them too?"

"Hey... we don't have an order to kill him, just to apprehend him." The Soul Phone went off and he snapped his phone open. "Ahh... hello Yumichika."

"_I arrived at the site, but whoever was here was gone. I saw someone hauling of that friend of Ichigo's, but they are one compared to the many and wasn't part of the group we picked up. I would have given chase, but our job is to find Hitsugaya Taicho._"

"Kurosaki's Quincy friend was knocked unconscious. That is an interesting turn of events. We'll meet up at Urahara's in order to discuss the situation." Shinji snapped his phone shut. "Well, apparently that group of Quincy just kidnapped Hitsugaya Taicho. They've taken him and his sister back to where they've been hiding this whole time. Or... he could in fact have gone willingly. He doesn't feel like he belongs with us anymore."

"Is that second part his fault?" Ichigo snapped the words out. "You should know what being a hybrid is like and the prejudices that it involves."

"Look... I get why the kid took off like he did. We have no control over the forty-six." Shinji spoke up. "That's possibly also why Yamamoto choose me. If his sister wasn't a Quincy he would likely have not run from us."


	26. War Games

**Of Birthdays and Sibling  
****_~Game Plan~_**

A clicking sound could be heard as Urahara snapped his fan shut as Ichigo, Rukia and Shinji came through the door to his shop. The man stood up and headed over to the door. "Follow me to the back room. Tessai already has a pot of tea on the stove. The others should be arriving shortly."

"That will give me time to figure out whether or not I need to arrest Ichigo here for helping an escaped fugitive." Shinji commented, his eyes narrowed from boredom.

"Hey! I did nothing wrong." Ichigo began to move away from Shinji as he gave the man a rather leery look.

"Relax. I'm not serious Ichigo. I'm not interested in arresting two little kids either. I don't care if Hitsugaya Taicho happens to be a captain, he is first and foremost a child and prone to making childish decisions." The man slid into the room and sat at the small floor table. Ichigo sat down and leaned on an arm propped on his knee.

Tessai brought in the tea for them and Ichigo sipped away, glaring at the blond haired man. Eventually the other Shinigami filtered in the room. Hisagi spoke up. "Since we're here, we should start discussing what we plan on doing, not to mention we should be informing the head taicho about this development."

"Actually, not everyone is here. We need to wait for two more." Urahara snapped his fan again, opening so it would hide his face. "He's going to want to get involved in this, so he'll be here."

"Whose he?" Renji began to scratch his head.

"Just wait and see." The man stated. After a few minutes Uryu came into the room followed by another man. The man was dressed in a Shinigami uniform with a cloth coming from the one side. The entrance was met with a wide range of expressions.

Ikaku placed his blade behind his head as a large smile spread across his face. A smirk spread across Yumichika's face. Renji's mouth dropped open as he pointed a finger at the man while Hisagi blinked a couple of times and glanced around to see if the other people knew who this person was. Shinji's eyes reflected a level of amusement. Rukia turned to look at the substitute. "Ichigo..."

The red headed shinigami then spluttered out a comment. "I thought Chad was going to show up."

"Yeah... well, from what I hear he and Inoue haven't been informed of the situation as of yet, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to inform them. The man sat down."

Hisagi let out a deep breath. "Who is he?"

"He's..." Rukia paused, first looking at Ichigo and then back at the man. "He's Ichigo's father."

The room was met with a silence that was broken by laughter from Ikaku. "This is just great. You do realize that when Matsumoto finds out you're alive she is going to kill you. Hell, Histugaya Taicho is going to be pissed off when he finds out that you're alive."

"Oh... Toshiro already knows. He told me to tell dad to stop hiding from him whenever he's around my place." Ichigo piped up.

"Wait... I am seriously missing something." Hisagi frowned at the men.

"You and me both. I thought Ichigo's father was just one major goofball."

"I'm assuming you're of the Shiba clan." Shinji piped up. "You look like your father."

"Wait... what!" Rukia frowned, shaking her head as she did so. "You're related to Kaien-dono?"

"He was my kid brother." Isshin looked at Ichigo as he said this. "I am surprised that you aren't taken off guard."

"Toshiro mentioned something about you being a Shiba. I can see myself being related to Kukaku-san, Karin is rather like her. Ganju though..."

Isshin waved his hand. "Yeah... he was always an idiot."

"But he always referred to his brother being a shinigami and not both of his brothers." Rukia shook her head in disbelief.

"As I said, the youngest Shiba family member is an idiot."

Hisagi let out a deep sigh. "All right... I am still lost."

"This is Shiba Isshin. He was the captain of the tenth division _before_ Hitsugaya Taicho. Hitsugaya was actually his fukutaicho before he disappeared and was thought to be dead." Ikkaku continued to smirk at the situation.

"Well, I'd better call in the development to Yamamoto. Everyone agree to leave out the fact that Ichigo's father showed up?" Shinji stated. He reached up to pick his nose. "Seriously... that isn't our mission so we don't have to bother reporting it." The other shinigami nodded their heads and Shinji made a call. He spoke up, only to hold the phone away from his ear. Hanging up, he let out a deep sigh.

"First, he says to tell Kurosaki's father that he is welcome back in Soul Society and that the forty-six has already cleared him and the Kurosaki family is cleared to come to Soul Society any time they want under the typical regulations as forty-six has cleared them."

Isshin waved him off. "He's already passed that message onto me. My girls take priority."

"Second, forty-six decided to push through their decision about the charges Hitsugaya Toshiro's sister is facing. She's been cleared of all charges."

"But what about Toshiro?" Ichigo frowned.

"As far as the forty-six is concerned she was never a prisoner, simply a ward of the state like Hitsugaya Taicho is."

"What are we to do?"

"Forty-six is still deciding what to declassify about the situation. Yamamoto says it will possibly take a few days or more. They're also trying to figure out how to best handle this situation as it is a political mess."

"How can it be a political mess?" Renji shook his head. "Hitsugaya is one of ours and she is one of theirs."

"I am not sure." Shinji scratched his head.

Uryu sat down. "The person who took Hitsugaya Taicho and Baba-chan said that coming after either one of them was a declaration of war. Ichigo's father says though them taking them is an act of war but didn't bother to explain it. My father acted like he knew what he was talking about as well."

"Well... the information is still classified. Yamamoto's only allowed to tell a select few people in extreme emergencies. That is one of the things they are going to try and figure out. The _who_ gets to know."


	27. Tension

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Tension~_**

The man with the scar on his lip moved through the halls, the white haired child following on his heels. He came to a room and opened the door. A stagnate smell came to his nose indicating the room was rarely if ever opened. They slipped into the room and the man went and lit a light. "This will be where you will stay until we can prepare a room of your own."

"At least the door isn't busted down." Toshiro found himself looking around the room, taking everything in. Everything was nice and neat and there was nothing that would give him a clue as to what kind of person his father was despite this having been that persons room formally. He watched as his uncle moved over to a wardrobe and opened up the door.

He pulled out a white outfit and handed it to the boy. "Try it on." Toshiro stared at the clothing, then glanced up at the man. He continued to frown, not saying a word. The man let out a deep sigh. "I know it might not by to your taste, you need to change your clothes."

"While I look better it dark clothing, that isn't the issue here." The boy continued to look at the man, willing him to understand what his problem was.

"So... what is the problem?"

"You're expecting me to change in front of you."

The man raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I saw you and your sister in your birthday suits when you were first born."

"I'm not comfortable changing with other people watching." Toshiro watched as the man let out a deep sigh. The man turned around and folded his arms as the boy glared at the clothing. He loosened the belt on his uniform and slipped off the clothing before pulling on the white clothing. He frowned as he noticed that the clothing had a more western design. When he finished he glanced up. "I'm finished."

The man turned around before going and sitting at the table. "There is a few hours before the party. Is there anything you want?"

Toshiro found himself staring at the man. "What do you mean is there anything that you want?"

"Do you want a book to read, a game to play or a snack? Though I suggest not having a snack as there will be food at the party." The man leaned back in the chair and relaxed.

"Why?" The man continued to stare at the man.

The man blinked a couple of times. "What do you mean by asking why?"

"Why did you ask me if I wanted something?" The question caused the man to stare at him. Silence filled the room and finally Toshiro glanced away. "Look... just forget I asked."

"Are you not used to people asking what you want?"

Toshiro suddenly turned to look at the man in surprise. He glanced away again trying to think about what the man meant by this. "Why would they though?" The man began to tap his fingers against the table and his lips pushed together. Again he glanced away, this time at the floor. "I'm sorry I'm not giving you the answer you want."

"You're not in trouble." The man folded his arms across his chest. "If you care about someone, you do things for them." Two dark eyes watched as Toshiro's mouth opened from surprise. "It is all right to tell me what is bothering you."

"I wouldn't say that the people around me didn't care about me, but I grew up in the Rukongai, so my granny... she's the woman who raised me... didn't have money to buy things very often. Instead she was the only one who didn't treat me as if I was strange. Once I got into the academy and then the Shinigami ranks I was a solider. Even if they cared about me, we had to keep professional relationships."

The man looked at him for a bit, before getting up. "I'll be back. Stay here and don't wander off. This place is vast and there is a chance for you to get lost."

"Why would I wander off?"

"Because you may have your father's curiosity."

Toshiro frowned and sat down in the other chair at the table before letting his head rest in his arms. "_I don't like the clothes. They feel tight.."_

"_You'll have to get used to them or see if he can find you some clothes your more comfortable with._" Hyorinmaru spoke up.

"_Yeah... but asking for..._" Toshiro paused as he closed his eyes. "_He asked if there was anything I wanted._"

The door opened and he watched as the man came into his room. The man brought a board game and began to set it up, carefully setting the pieces out. The game was shoji and Toshiro's eyes perked up. The man glanced up, a smile spreading on his face. "I thought you would like to play this game."

Toshiro opened his mouth to say something, reaching for one of the pieces. He paused before looking at the ground again. "Would it be possible to get slightly different clothing. The clothes feel tight."

"Where does it feel tight?" The man glanced up, a frown spreading on his face as he gave the boy a look of concern.

"It feels tight around the arms." Toshiro glanced at the ground.

"Until we can get you measured you can continue to wear his clothing, but we'll make sure to get you some clothing to fit." The man moved his piece next. "Truth be told, my brother never liked clothing unless it was lose. He preferred to wear the kimonos mother made for us. If it weren't a formal event I would let you wear one. It's also a bit cold to be wearing a kimono."

"What was she like?"

The man remained silent, the question remained unanswered. He continued to play the game. Toshiro frowned due to the fact that the answer wasn't being answered. "Your grandfather will answer your questions eventually. Be patient."


	28. Celebration

**Of Birthdays and Shinigami  
****_~Celebration Time~_**

Toshiro continued to play the game with his uncle when the door to the room slammed open. Bambietta hurried into the room and slammed her hands down causing the pieces to jar out of place. The small boy looked at the pieces with his bright teal eyes, a frown spreading across his face. The small female though had a rather angry look on her face. "Grandpa is so mean!"

"What did he tell you this time?" Her uncle simply leaned back while Toshiro replaced the pieces to the way they were before they had been knocked askew.

"He says that I am not to let anyone know that Toto-chan is my brother at _our_ birthday party. If I can't tell people that he is _my_ brother then it is just _my _birthday." The small female's voice was loud and abrasive, causing the small boy to flinch.

"Technically it is just _your _birthday party." Toshiro spoke up, receiving a glare from a set of matching eyes. Without looking at her he explained his logic. "The party was planned for you in the first place. They didn't plan it to include me. It would be rude to ask everyone to make changes simply because I've shown up at the last minute."

"You're supposed to side with me!"

This statement caused the boy to look up from the game to see his uncle giving him a rather amused look. "Just because I'm your twin, doesn't mean I have to side with you. There are things we're both going to disagree on."

Bambietta's lip suddenly pouted before she turned to left. After a few more games a knock came on the door to the room. His uncle spoke up bidding them to come in. A small female glanced into the room, a look of fear on her face. "Sir... I was supposed to tell you that the party is getting ready to start."

"Thank you."

Toshiro frowned, before turning to her uncle. "Something seemed to be bothering her."

"People were asked to leave my brother's room alone and not change anything. Mother wanted it the same way for when he came back, but obviously he never did. I don't come in here much anymore, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't feel free to come in here. If you want, we don't have to prepare a room for you but let you have this one."

"I would actually prefer that to getting my own room." Toshiro glanced at the ground. "_But I would really rather have my room back home._"

"I know you don't want to be here, but this is where you belong. We're your family Toshiro." The man stood up. "Stay by my side during the party. This way you don't have to answer people's questions if you don't want to."

The boy found himself following the man. Arriving at the room, he saw a long table filled with a large cake and lots of food. Another table was filled with a few presents. A third table was set up with chairs around them. Music was playing from a sound system and the place wasn't in his comfort zone. His uncle spoke up. "Sorry we have to get you presents after your birthday."

"I was more of thinking along the lines that I don't have a present for Baba-nee." The boy glanced away. "I don't have time to make anything either."

He suddenly felt something launch themselves onto his back and he turned his head to see his sister smiling at him. "I love you a lot Toto-chan. And not crush kind of like. I have to great guests despite the fact that is boring."

Toshiro felt the corner of his mouth twitch as she hurried off. He glanced over at his uncle and saw the man was frowning at him. He took a deep breath before moving closer to the man. He watched as the quests began to arrive. Many brought presents and a good deal of them were children ranging from just older then him to just younger then Yachiru. He found himself swallowing hard and he fidgetted.

His grandfather had taken a seat at the table and simply watched as things progressed. The children chatted with each other and some chatted with his sister. Glancing at the ground a feeling of not belonging washed over him. Hyorinmaru though spoke up in the back of his head. "_This is not something new to you. All you need to keep in mind is that we belong with each other. Nothing else matters._"

He suddenly heard footsteps approaching and noticed a small child coming up with a pout on their face. "Lady Bambietta won't tell us who you are. She says it is a secret. Can you tell me what that secret is?"

Toshiro frowned, swallowing as he looked at the small child. His uncle spoke up. "Sorry, but a secret is a secret. You'll have to wait to find out with everyone else. But it won't be tonight."

An announcement was made and it became time for his sister to begin opening presents. He stood next to his uncle at the outside of the crowd, feeling all to much like a stranger. "_I can't blame Bamb-nee for wanting me for herself, because I would much rather be doing something with her right now._"

"_It isn't a matter of sharing her with other people though, you're not allowed to even share._" His dragon spoke up.

The small white haired boy watched as the gifts were unwrapped. "_I can't top any of this even with one of my ice sculptures._"

"_You certainly are jealous._"

"_Yes... well, I don't belong in this world. I never was comfortable with the nobility back in Soul Society. I'm struggling to believe that I actually have a family to belong to, let alone a family that pretty much amounts to high nobility._" The boy glanced at the ground again, before turning to glance away.

"It is now time for the cake and appetizers."

Toshiro continued to glance at the floor. He suddenly heard his sister's voice. "Toto-chan?" Glancing up, he found Bambietta handing him a plate with cake on it. "This is for you."

He took it, his mouth closed shut tightly. Glancing around the room, he could see that the other children were staring at them. Some of them had a look of surprise on their faces, while others had an irritated look on their faces. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at his uncle, whose eyes were wide from surprise and staring at Bambietta. It was almost as if a look of frustration was on his face. Their grandfather however had a rather amused look spread across his face.

Toshiro then watched as Bambietta headed over to the table and got herself a piece and the other children followed suit, serving themselves. When he thought he felt only his grandfather's eyes on him, he turned to his Uncle. "What is going on?"

"What is going on?" The white haired boy frowned at the man.

"It's traditional for Bambietta to give the first piece of cake to the person she likes the present of most." The man frowned.

"But I _didn't_ give her anything." Toshiro's voice was in a whisper, knowing full well that the other children wouldn't want to hear this.

"She possibly thinks having you back _is_ the best present." The man frowned, crossing his arms. "This isn't going to win yo points with the other children.

The small child turned away while looking at the slice of cake. "It isn't as if I ever got along with the other children. It would be harder this time around considering where I came from."

"What do you mean though by not getting along with the other children?" His uncle's frown deepened.

"In case you haven't noticed, my hair and eye color is not normal. There is also a high chance my rieatsu leaked all over the place when I was younger and people picked up on the fact and wished to stay away. I have an ice zampaktuo after all." Toshiro paused for a few minutes. "Speaking of which..."

"No... you can't have your blade back yet. Give yourself a chance to get used to this place." The man glanced at the table. "Aren't you going to go and get some of the other treats."

"I'm really uncomfortable in this situation and would rather avoid any situation where I had the chance of bumping into someone."


	29. Exausted

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Exhaustion~_**

The small white haired child continued to watch as the party continued. He ate a few bites of the cake, but his stomach felt nauseated and his head hurt more then it had before. He also felt exhausted and his head began to tilt forward. After a bit of time for eating, it was announced that a few games would be going on and the children that had chosen to sit at the table cleared the table.

"_I'm going to be asked to participate._" Toshiro glanced at the ground. Glancing back up, he saw his grandfather give him a strange look. "_Great... he's mad at me for not participating. I can't help the fact that I am anti-social like I am. I wouldn't have made friends with Kusaka or either of the Kurosaki family members if they hadn't approached me first."_

He glanced down, only to suddenly see the man waving him over. Swallowing, he headed over to the table, his uncle hot on his heals. "Sit Toshiro."

The boy found himself sitting down and setting the partially eaten piece of cake onto the table. He found himself unable to look the man in the eye. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

The comment from the man caused him to glance up, swallowing again. "Because I didn't socialize with anyone."

"Most children would have gone after the other treats on the table, but I couldn't help but notice that you didn't even do that." The man folded his arms across his chest. "You don't know how to act like a child, let alone how to interact with others your age do you?"

"That... and I honestly don't know how to interact with high society unless we're talking military ceremony, or a traditional tea ceremony. That kind of thing." Toshiro glanced away.

The man glanced up at the boy's uncle and the man's eyes went wide. "I'll be right back."

The white haired child didn't glance up and didn't take a bite of the cake and simply stared at it. "_And then there is the fact I know I am a stranger here and the other kids are likely wondering why I am getting favored like I am. I know that I am a child genius, but that doesn't make me special compared to any other child. Being different..._"

The thought didn't finish as a plate of treats was set in front of him. Toshiro glanced up and blinked a couple of times at his uncle before looking down at the treats. He then glanced up at the games being played and noticed that a few of the kids were still staring at him. He glanced down, not liking the fact he stood out.

He slowly picked at the food as he continued to try and ignore the stares that were levied on him. He had noted that none of the children had sat near the leader when they sat at the table. "_Great... one more reason why I stand out. I wonder if it would be worse if they found out I'm Baba-nee's brother._"

"_They might have been more willing to share her with you._"

"_I don't want them being my friend because of who my family is. I want friends who see me for who I am._"

"You should get to know the other students when you start lessons tomorrow."

"_Great... some of them already hate me._"

"I was thinking I would take him with me tomorrow." His uncle spoke up.

Toshiro glanced up, his eyes going wide and a look of hope spreading on his face. Upon realizing this, his mouth opened and he glanced back down, continuing to pick at his food."

"I don't see why you should take him with you." The tone in his grandfather voice said he was not happy about his decisions being challenged. That was until he said something else. "He's had no training in Quincy abilities and I'm not yet ready to give him back his blade. If something were to happen I would not be pleased."

"I'll be there to take care of him. I don't know when we'll be doing this again and I think it would be a good opportunity for him to see more of Vandenreich outside of the palace. I took Bambietta before she learned any Quincy abilities. Why is this different?"

Toshiro suddenly found himself looking between his uncle and his grandfather, frowning as he did so. His grandfather spoke up. "I apologize Toshiro." The white haired youth glanced back at his half eaten cake thinking the answer would be no. "You aren't your father, so you can go."

The frown on the boy's face deepened. "Exactly what is that supposed to mean."

"Your father had a habit of running away. The last time he ran away he never came back. We recently received news that he's passed away. We just got you back as well. Plus, I made the mistake with your father of not allowing him the freedom he craved. There are a few things you can't do, like returning to Soul Society and remaining within needed protocol. I want you to have more freedom then I ever gave him."

"With the hopes that I won't leave?"

"With the hopes that you don't feel as if I expect you to be a certain person. I never saw your father for the person he was."

Toshiro glanced at the plate, frowning as he did so. "I honestly don't know the answer to the question of who I am. I think I was just beginning to discover that before I came here thanks to the Substitute Soul Reaper."

"Kurosaki Ichigo?" The man blinked a couple of times. "Do you look up to him?"

"I don't know. There are a lot of things I'm still figuring out."

"Why don't I take him back to his room and let him get some sleep. I'd like him a nice night of sleep,"

"How is your head doing?"

Toshiro glanced up at his grandfather in surprise. "I've got a massive headache if that is what you mean."

The man shook his head. "And yet you haven't complained about it once."

The small boy glanced away. "I've been sliced and diced by Arrancar. It's not really something new for me."

"Yes... go ahead and get some sleep."


	30. Setting In

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Settling In~_**

Toshiro found himself following his uncle through the cold corridors of the palace. He found himself taking the time to let his senses feel around the environment and a familiar feeling greeted him. "_This icy feeling feels like you._"

His dragon didn't respond to the comment and Toshiro brushed the feeling away. He and his uncle came to a different room then the one he was told he would be staying in. He frowned and his uncle glanced back to look at him. "This place is the medical ward. It isn't anywhere near as big as the forth division that you're used to, but I figure we should get that head injury of yours checked out."

They stepped into the room and a female with brown hair smiled at them. "Since you don't look injured your highness I take it is the strange young one next to you."

"Apparently Lady Bambietta knocked him upside the head. I'd like you to take a look at in." The woman motioned for his dark haired uncle to take a seat while he was expected to sit down on one of the beds.

"So where is your injury young man?" The woman continued to smile and her demeanor was much like those of the forth division.

"The back of the head." The boy felt her soft fingers touch the back of his head and he winced hen she touched the lump at the back of his head.

The woman frowned then spoke up. "Can I ask if you feel nausea or as if your head is going to split open?"

"I ate despite the fact my stomach is doing flips. My head feeling like it is going to split open is minor compared to other injuries I've received." Toshiro spoke in a truthful manner, not thinking that any of his words had any real meaning. He could feel the woman pull back suddenly and he turned to see that her face was twisted up, the shock of what he said written all over her face. "Did I say something wrong."

"Your highness... who is this child?"

"I don't know what you mean by asking that."

"Is he _his_ child."

There was a period of silence while the woman continued to frown at Toshiro. The boy finally spoke up. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No Toshiro."

"Your highness!"

"This isn't to go beyond this room." His uncle let out a deep side. "Yes... he's my brother's child. To be exact, he's Lady Bambietta's twin brother.

"I'm going to ask again what I said that was so wrong."

"Your injury is _not_ a minor injury. I don't like the fact that you brush it off. Something this minor _can_ kill you. What _other _injuries do you have?"

Toshiro frowned. His mouth didn't move to speak and he glanced away. His uncle though looked him straight in the eye. "What other injuries do you have? I think she should examine them."

The small child reached down and removed the boots he had put on. A few blisters had formed on his feet. The woman went down on her knees to examine his feet. "You don't have a problem walking?"

"I don't like wearing the boots. They don't fit right. I prefer my sandals."

His uncle frowned before placing a hand on his forehead and shaking his head. The woman shook her head at the boy. "I mean are you find walking with these blisters on your feet."

"I've had worse." Toshiro glanced down, not at all fazed by what she was saying.

"Are there any other injuries?" The dark haired man spoke up.

The small boy blinked a couple of times and opened his mouth. His uncle raised an eyebrow, before turning around. "She's going to have to examine you when your injured so there is no way around _that_ issue."

"What issue?"

"He doesn't like changing in front of people."

Toshiro let out a deep sigh and removed the top of his clothing. He heard a deep breath of air taken and a sound of utter shock coming from the female. His uncle turned around to see what she was looking at. Her mouth was clasped over her mouth. "How..."

The small boy pointed to his arm. "She cut me a bit."

"That isn't what I was talking about." The woman then pointed at the scars on his chest running from his shoulder across his chest to the other side. She could also see a scar left from where his arm had been cut off.

Toshiro glanced down before letting out a deep breath. "Those are previous injuries I've received."

"I should have told you that he _was_ a captain of the Gotei Thirteen until early today. Again, that isn't something I want be found out."

"But why would a child be a captain of that group. I'd heard that they were demons, but this..."

The boy frowned, before folding his arms across his chest. The woman went to examine the cut on his arm before putting a new bandage on it. "Please stay out of trouble. And you'll want to keep an eye on him as he sleeps your highness."

Toshiro then put his clothing back on and followed his uncle back to his father's old room. "_I think that she doesn't like me._"

"_She's more shocked at seeing a child who has been torn to pieces._"

They arrived at the room and the man went over and opened up the wardrobe. He began to move around before pulling out a few kimonos. "There are more in there, but choose one that you would like to wear for nightware."

Toshiro frowned before grabbing the pale teal one. He glanced into the closet but didn't see a black one or one that matched the color of his eyes. His shinigami robes were still folded but they would need to be washed. Letting out a deep breath he glanced at his uncle who was looking at the book shelf and not looking at him.

He quickly dressed himself and then ran his fingers over the soft material. The kimono was honestly nicer then anything he had ever worn. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the covers over his legs before glancing at his uncle who was busy reading a book. "What book are you reading?"

"The Little Prince. It was always my brother's favorite." The man then raised an eyebrow. "You can read it later. Right now you need to get some sleep.


	31. Icy Anger

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~ Icy Anger~_**

Toshiro found himself woken up every so often during the night for his uncle to check up on him. Finally, the man woke him up and told him it was time to get up as they would be setting out to do whatever they were going to do. The small boy sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes while his uncle went into the closet and began to pull out items.

The man then dropped the clothing onto the table. Two bright teal eyes blinked a couple of times as he looked at the clothing that was obviously meant for the outside during winter. "We're going outside."

"Yes." The man sat down and picked up the book again while Toshiro got dressed, a frown spreading on his face as he didn't like how the clothing fit. When he finished the man stood up and tightened the hood around Toshiro's head.

"I'm not a little kid."

The man blinked a couple of times before shaking his head. "Your still young enough that adults should still be looking out for your well fare. The fact you didn't realize how serious your injuries are makes it even more important that your taken care of. Just because you have a high pain tolerance doesn't make you an adult."

"I never said I had a high pain tolerance. I've just learned to ignore it." Toshiro's comment caused the man to let out a sigh. He then followed behind the man and came to the throne room. A group was meeting there and a female came over.

The female had short blond hair that had black streaks on one side. Her nails had fingernail polish that had diagonal white and black patterns on it. She wore a collar around her neck and wore dark mascara around her eyes. "Your highness, the bags are ready."

"That's good Gabrielli."

The female then noticed that Toshiro was standing there and the smile that was on her face suddenly left and she found herself staring at him despite the fact his facial features were hidden by his hood. "One of the young ones is coming with us?"

Toshiro's uncle didn't respond and simply headed towards what amounted to the front of the castle while the various members picked up their bundles and followed him. "Stay close to me Toshiro."

The boy hurried along and found his feet sinking into the snow outside of the place. "_Despite the fact I dislike wearing the boots compared to sandals and tabi socks my feet are a __lot__ warmer this way."_

They had gotten away from the castle and Toshiro found himself glancing back. The structure was huge and snow was everywhere. The female that his uncle had referred to as Gabrielli spoke up. "So, how far along are you in your Quincy training?" Toshiro turned to look at her but didn't answer her question. "My least favorite subject was learning about Shinigami. I've never liked the bastards for what they've done to us. They're uncivilized, and..."

The white haired child found himself stopping in his footsteps and staring at her. "_She __really__ dislikes shinigami._"

The female paused and turned to look at him. "What ever is the matter?" Her smile then left for the second time and her voice strained. "You wouldn't happen to be a Shinigami. I heard a rumor that his highness brought one back to Vandenriech, but that can't be true."

"I am a Shinigami." Toshiro watched as the entire group suddenly paused in their steps and turned to stare at them. He suddenly found himself staring at the ground as eyes became focused on him.

"He's a child born of darkness." His uncle spoke up, the situation not fazing him.

The mood suddenly changed as soon as the words "child born of darkness" were spoken. The look on the female's expression changed. "Well... that's different."

"I suggest though that you don't speak about your bias against shinigami in front of him again. He may be a child born of darkness, but he was raised in Soul Society." His uncles words were stern and Toshiro found himself fidgeting.

"But didn't the Shinigami persecute him just like they have anyone of Quincy blood? Wouldn't they persecute him more so then us? So he should understand where..."

"They didn't." Toshiro glanced at the ground.

"You've got to be joking, I mean..."

"Gabrielli..." His uncle snapped out the words.

"Except who is this child. His tone says he isn't joking your highness." One of the other Quincy spoke up. The small boy found himself fidgeting even more.

"_I'm not running from the Gotei Thirteen, I'm running from forty-six._"

"Unless of course they didn't know he was of Quincy bloodline, but then he wouldn't know anymore then they did."

"So... he's been taught to hate us and hunt us? Is bringing him here a good idea even though he is a child of darkness?"

Toshiro paused. "Why would they teach us to hate the Quincy when they haven't taught about them since before I entered the academy, and that was forty to fifty years ago. Those of us who know about Quincy only know about the one that came with the Substitute Soul Reaper along with the Fullbringer, Lady Yourichi and that girl with the negation ability."

He glanced up and watched the looks on the adults faces, knowing full well they were becoming confused. He glanced at his uncle who gave him a look that said he wasn't at all amused with the situation that was occurring.

The Gabrielli female shook her head. "You look to be the age of Lady Bambietta and my younger brother. Even if a child is started early in their Quincy training they aren't allowed to be a solider until they are a couple years older then you are physically. Lady Bambietta is an exception due to the fact she is related to his majesty and his highness. And you expect us not to call them monsters."

"_Don't_ speak about my situation as if you _know _what my life has been like." Toshiro coul feel his reiatsu flaring out.

"Calm down." Toshiro's eyes went wide as his uncle spoke up. He then glanced at the ground. His uncle had something else to say. "As I said, keep what you have to say about the Shinigami to yourselves. There is a lot he still has to learn."


	32. Icy Village

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Icy Village~_**

The small white haired child's stomach did a few flips as he looked at his uncle. Toshiro had never been one to enjoy being yelled at and reprimanded for things, even if he wasn't in actual trouble. He followed behind the man and stared at the back of the white cloak. The clothing blended in to the snow and he couldn't help but wonder if it was always like this.

After a bit, he found himself blinking a couple of times. His hands reached up to rub his eyes, but he then let out a deep breath upon realizing that he was making out the edge of the top of buildings. He then saw a few people move about and realized that they were coming to a small village. While the people were dressed warmly it was rather obvious that their clothing wasn't as nice as what those from the palace wore.

A couple of children paused and pointed at the people who were coming. Toshiro found himself glancing at his uncle, wondering what was going on. The people around him kept up the pace and by the time they arrived at the village they found themselves suddenly surrounded by people. A couple of the Quincy started out by deviating rations to families while another handed out clothing, shoes and a few toys.

"There are villages outside of the palace?" Toshiro asked.

"There are a few villages, but not many." His uncle spoke up. "Be sure to stay by my side."

The boy let out a deep sigh as he watched some of the children either head off to play with their toys, or what he was more interested in, the snow. He watched as they built snow men and let out laughs. His uncle turned to speak to someone when a small female came up and grabbed his gloved hand. "Come build snow men with us."

Toshiro felt himself tugged away over to an embankment of snow. Glancing around, he couldn't help but notice that some of the buildings were made of snow, while others were built out of material that was likely hauled in as he didn't see anything growing for miles. Upon arriving at the snow embankment he watched for a few minutes.

He then carefully removed his gloves and blew on his hands before sculpting something from the snow. As he knelt on the ground he carefully crafted a dragon out of the snow that looked very much like Hyorinmaru except on a much smaller scale. A few of the children gathered around and watched as he continued until he had finished.

"Toshiro..." The white haired boy found himself falling backwards onto his bottom before turning his head to look up at his uncle, who had a frown on his face. "I told you to stay by my side."

"Sorry..."

"I'm not mad. Next time let me know you're heading off to play with the other children. I need to go and see one of the older ladies and check up on her. I wish for you to come with me."

"Yes sir." The boy followed behind him and they came to a small building and stepped inside. A nice fire was burning near the woman.

"Good afternoon." The man knelt beside her and began to preform healing kido on the woman's arm, which was wrapped up. "A few of us will be going and gathering more firewood for you."

"Don't worry. While the village may not have much, we do have young men and women who can at least do that." The woman smiled at him.

"Where are the trees?" Toshiro suddenly asked.

His uncle glanced up, a surprised look on his face. He tilted his head to the side in a direction away from the palace. "It's about two miles outside of the village away from the palace. It is closer to the other villages though."

The warmth from the fire began to get to Toshiro and he found himself pulling his hood back so he could try to cool off. As he was staring off at the wall, the old woman spoke up. "You look like your grandmother, your highness."

The small white haired child blinked a couple of times. He then turned to look at his uncle in surprise. "It should not be surprising as you happen to have inherited her zampaktuo traits with your zampaktuo. Some zamapktuo pass down through the family blood lines."

"He looks more like her then your brother did." The old woman smiled at Toshiro, causing him to blink a couple of times. "Seeing him reminds me of when she used to bring you and your brother to come and visit."

"So, this is something that you started with grandmother?"

"Yes. She was a Shinigami. You're a second generation child born of darkness." The man continued working on the woman's arm.

"If your using healing kido I can finish up so that you can do other things you need to do." Toshiro volunteered.

His uncle paused. "Are you fine with that?"

"This has been the most comfortable I've been since I've gotten to Vandenreich." The boy spoke up. "_I am surprised that I am actually comfortable here, but then it perhaps has something to do with this reminding me of granny's home. Except the home is better maintained. Plus, Taicho and Ukitake Taicho used to take me with them back into the Rukongai._"

The man nodded his head. "I'll leave Gabrielli outside the door. Not many people know who you are but I don't want to take any chances."

Toshiro then found himself scooting over to the woman and using the healing kido on the woman's arm. She smiled at him. "I slipped on the ice and fell down. My bones don't heal like they used to. I am surprised that you know healing kido. But then you did say you just got to Vandenreich. You're his highness nephew, are you not?"

"Yes... you figured that out from seeing that I looked like my grandmother though."

"No. You could easily have been his highness child and not the child of his older brother. That would make Lady Bambietta your sister. Since you're the same age I'm thinking you are twins just like your father and uncle."

"We're twins, though I honestly didn't know my father and uncle were twins. I actually don't know a lot of things."

"You are a darling child. You'll probably here a lot of discontent from those around you about the Shinigami, but the Quincy have no ill wills towards them despite the fact they, we fear them. There are so few pure ones now."

"Pure ones?" Toshiro frowned at her.

"After the split from soul society they became known as children born of darkness, a child with a Shinigami parent and a child with a Quincy parent. I'll tell you this though, there used to be no line drawn between the two other then the powers. Those who were pure ones had to make the choice of which side they would go to."

"Your grandmother, she wasn't a pure one nor was your grandfather. But she choose to leave Soul Society with him. She may have been a Shinigami, but she's considered a saint here even among those who hate Shinigami. Well, perhaps not your generation. They could have had children a long time ago, but they held off so you're of a new generation."

Toshiro finished the healing. "I thought Quincy were humans from the living world."

"Oh... those are the ones who choose not to use Vandenreich as their safe haven. They fled to the living world and they ended up blending in with those in the living world. On top of the sudden purge two-hundred years ago they had to contend with the fact that their bloodline was dying out so to speak. A Quincy is stronger the closer they are to the source. Of course, they don't teach this in classes any more I guess."

"They don't teach about Quincy at all in the academy anymore."

"Do you know why Yamamoto let us get away a thousand years ago?"

"He doesn't. We'll get around to telling him at a later time grandmother." Toshiro glanced up to see his uncle frowning. "Don't get me wrong Toshiro. We don't mind you learning about this, but there is a lot to take in. And as she's pointed out, there is a lot that isn't taught anymore to your generation. At least your more willing to sit and listen then Bambietta is. Her attention span is horribly small."


	33. Patience

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Patience~_**

Sunlight came in through the window waking up the substitute shinigami. Ichigo found himself opening his eyes and looking out the window at the layer of snow that had formed on the windowsill. Sitting up he let out a deep sigh, The fact Hisagi was asleep in a sitting position against the wall reminded him of the situation when it came to Toshiro.

He could smell a breakfast cooking downstairs and he got up and quickly changed his clothes before heading towards the smells. When he got downstairs he blinked a couple of times upon seeing a blond haired female with freckles on her face. He felt his eye suddenly twitch at seeing her. "What are you doing here?"

"The apartment got crowded when baldy stopped by, baldy." Hiyori glowered at him, her tooth protruding slightly.

"How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"You're acting like I should be glad to see him dumb ass." The girl began to twiddle her finger in her ear.

Yuzu came over with plates of food for the two of them and setting them down. "It's not good for a young lady our age to use such language."

"Excuse me?" Hiyori snapped the words out.

"Ichi-nii... your guests tend to be a bit strange, but this one doesn't seem to have any manners. Is he another sibling of Toshiro's?"

"A sibling of that shortie?" The blood leaned back folding her arms behind her head. "Seriously..."

"I don't care what kind of language you use, but could you at least behave around my sisters?" Ichigo glared at the female while Yuzu headed off to prepare more plates.

"So... your sisters know that shortie captain kid?" The girl switched to leaning on her arm. "Where is he by the way. I usually see him a lot more then baldy. Then again, I haven't seen baldy since he decided to abandon us and head back to Soul Society."

"He didn't tell you?" The Substitute Shinigami shook his head. "A Quincy showed up in Soul Society who turned out to be Toshiro's sister."

"So that is what your sister was yammering about."

"He came here to the living world and they got their buts kidnapped by the Vandenriech.. They're apparently a group of renegade Quincy."

Hiyori remained silent and glared right at him. "Why aren't you going after him?"

"Going after who?"

"Ahh..." Ichigo glanced up, frowning as he did so. "Don't worry about it Karin."

"Doesn't she know the shortie captain though?"

"Another friend of yours?" Karin frowned at the intruder. "And what is going on with Toshiro."

The orange haired teen waved his hand at his sister. "Don't worry about it. Toshiro just had his family pick him up."

"Ichi-nii..."

"Yeah?"

"Your bad at lying," Karin watched as her brother gave he a rather confused look. "You have this look whenever you're trying to brush something off. You'll make sure that Toshiro doesn't get hurt, right?"

"One of the reasons I think we're not moving is because he doesn't seem to be in any danger. Apparently the place they live is a safe place for people who have Quincy and Shinigami blood."

"But Soul Society isn't coming after us, so there is no need for a safe place right?" The girl frowned at him.

"For once I've told you what I know." Ichigo began to scratch his head.

"The real reason you guys haven't gone after him is because you don't know where this Vandenreich place is, so you can't go after him dumb ass." Hiyori narrowed her eyes at him. "Because I'd figure you'd be someone to go after one of your own."

"I think I'll talk to Urahara to see if he knows how to get there." The teen stood up only to suddenly feel a set of eyes focused on his back.

"You will do no such thing." Rukia stood in a borrowed nightgown standing on the stairs glaring at them.

"Because of the stupid Shinigami protocol? That hasn't stopped you from helping him other times." Hiyori grinned at the girl, her eyes begging Rukia to get into a fight with her.

"Look snaggle tooth..."

Ichigo was quickly interrupted by Rukia. "It isn't an issue of protocol. The Vandenriech honestly feel that they've taken Hitsugaya Taicho under their protective wing and they have made it clear that they won't settle for us trying to take him away."

"That's a laugh. That kid can very well take care of himself. "

"I think we should go." Ichigo suddenly began to tap the table.

"Are you going to start a war you idiot!"

"I'm also what they call a child of darkness, so I would possibly be welcome. I can go and get answers a lot faster then from this forty-six people."

Hiyori suddenly bristled. "Wait... the forty-six is involved? Count me in on this one!"

"Excuse me?" Rukia shook her head.

"Everyone knows you can't trust forty-six! The only reason they said they pardoned us was because they wanted to execute us all at the same time."

"Ichigo... she's paranoid. I'd be better off going with you. Plus, we don't know how to get there. I don't think Urahara would know either. Something feels off about the whole situation. I mean, the fact Yamamoto and the forty-six seem to have known that Hitsugaya Toshiro was part Quincy for some time."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because the decision to pardon was way to quick."

"That's because they really want to execute the," Hiyori went off into a ramble. "I mean, the only reason the forty-six would overlook something like this is if..." The female paused, her frown suddenly deepening.

"If what?" Ichigo shook his head.

"Don't worry about it." Hiyori placed her hands in her pocket. "I'm still going with you."

"You're way to paranoid and we don't know how to get there!" Rukia shook her head at the female.

"I owe my former taicho on this one. And by former taicho I don't mean that pedo bear in a strip hat." The girl leaned back, frowning as she did so.


	34. Icy Fun

**Of Siblings and Birthdays  
~Icy Fun******

Sunlight began to filter through the doorway of the house indicating it was somewhere between nine and ten o'clock in the morning. As Toshiro found himself bidding the female farewell, he found his stomach grumbling and his cheeks flushing up as the sound echoed through the room. The sound of cloth ruffling was heard and his uncle tossed a bag at his head. "Have some granola for breakfast."

The small boy opened the bag and began to munch on the food. Swallowing the dry cereal, he pulled his hood back on and followed his uncle out of the room, promising the old woman that he would come and visit if possible. He walked past the strange female and paid her no attention and instead focused on his uncle.

He suddenly felt his hood yanked down as he put the last of the cereal into his mouth. He then felt something cold going down his back and realized that someone had dumped snow down the back of his clothing. The cereal in Toshiro's mouth spluttered out and his cheeks flushed up from embarrassment again and he turned to glare at the person.

"What was that for?"

Gabrielli blinked a couple of times. Her two hands suddenly reached out to pinch his flushed up cheeks. Her eyes were wide and there was a strange mirth in them. She pulled on his cheeks while he continued to frown at her, not sure where she was going to go with this behavior of hers. And then she spoke up. "You are so cute."

Toshiro reached up with his hands to try and pull her hands away. "Excuse me?"

"Your hair is white like the snow. Our eyes are so bright and like these gems. And your skin is like a china doll. Actually, you look like a little doll." The female stated as she continued to pull on his cheeks in order to make the flush up more."

"_She thinks I look like a doll? Doesn't she understand that I am male and a warrior? That's __worse__ then being called a child._" Toshiro glared at her, only to have his uncle come over and rescue him by pulling the female's hands away from his mouth. He let out a sigh of relief and felt his hood pulled back on. He glanced down at his feet, trying to make his cheeks not flush up from the fact the comment honestly did embarrass him.

"_At least she can't see your face now._" His dragon stated. The boy found the words distant and wished even more that Hyorinmaru was near him rather then being kept away.

"_I know that I can communicate with you just as well when you aren't around me, but not having you physically near me is like talking to you over a soul phone._"

"_You are a very amusing child._"

Toshiro let out a sigh, knowing full well that Hyorinmaru was one of the few people who was allowed to call him a child as the dragon represented someone who was far, far older then him despite the fact the dragon had been born with his soul. It was almost as if the dragon was a reincarnation of another person's zampaktuo.

The boy paused, allowing Gabrielli to crash into the back of him. The entire palace had been made of ice and he had just been told by the old woman that he looked like his grandmother. "_Was she the person I inherited you from?_"

A sudden snow ball broke him from his trance and knocked his hood slightly off. He found himself turning to look at Gabrielli in confusion again. The female was sitcking her tounge out at him and pulling down on one of her eyelids. He blinked a couple of times. "How exactly am I supposed to respond to your immature behavior?"

The female blinked a couple of times and gave him a look that indicated it was her turn to be confused. "Most kids would have responded with throwing snowballs back."

"_Am_ I supposed to do that?" Toshiro continued to frown at her, only to see her sigh and watch as she made another snowball and this time lobbed it right at his face. He found himself suddenly falling backwards, his hood coming all the way off and his breath catching as he landed unceremoniously on his bottom. He could feel a gagging sound coming out of his throat.

"Just to let you know, I'm going to keep lobbing snowballs until we get into a snow fight." The female stated. "A kid that doesn't know how to..."

However, Toshiro found his temper flaring and he found himself balling up a ball of snow and lobbing it right back at her face. "I am _not_ a little kid!"

"You look a lot younger then my brother. Your shorter then Lady Bambietta as well, so you must be physically a few years younger then her..."

The small white haired youth found his throat catching before he reached down and lobbed another one at the female. "_She __had__ to go and point out the fact I am a few inches shorter then my twin sister. She just __had__ to._"

"_Well, she probably doesn't realize that the two of you are siblings and even if she did she wouldn't know that you weren't a younger one._"

"_Shut up Hyorinmaru!_" Toshiro continued to lob the snowballs at the female. "_I thought we were supposed to come out here to do some practical things to help the village._"

"_Well, the village children seem to be enjoying themselves._" The comment from the dragon caused Toshiro to glance around and see that the children had in fact started in on the snow fight as well. There didn't seem to be any apparent side as they would throw snowballs at him as much as they did at Gabrielli. Laughter was coming from the children and he had to honestly admit to himself that he was enjoying himself.

He was suddenly distracted by the back of his hood being grabbed and he almost toppled off his feet again. Turning around he saw his uncle, who didn't have a very pleased look on his face. Toshiro found himself swallowing. He saw a few other members hurrying forward, casting a few wary glances his way.

"Gabrielli... be more responsible."

"I always play with the children." The female grumbled. "His highness has never had a problem with that before."

"Honestly, keep your hood up. You could get sick if you aren't careful." His uncle grumbled. "Anyways, it is time we be heading back."

There came a dismayed sound from the children and they bid them goodbye, many of them asking his highness to come back. As they were walking back towards the palace, Toshiro found himself looking back towards his uncle. The man spoke up again. "Did you have fun today? Would it be possible that you would like to come again."

Toshiro nodded his head. "_I thought I was in trouble._"


	35. Urahara's Demon

**~Of Birthdays and Siblings~  
****_Urahra's Demon_**

Ichigo headed up to his room to grab his jacket, only to find himself crashing into the shinigami leaving his room. Hisagi reached up and scratched his head. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"No reason." The substitute narrowed his eyes.

"Hey! Ichi-nii! What about breakfast!"

"I need to grab some on the go." The orange haired teen replied as he looked down the stairs.

Letting out a deep sigh, Hisagi folded his arms across his chest. "You _are_ up to something."

It was then that Rukia came hurring up the stairs. "Ichigo, Chad, Orihime and Uryu said they'll meet us over at Urahara's shop."

"Why are you all going to Urahara's shop?" The fukutaicho of the ninth division continued to glower at the Substitute Shinigami.

"Uh... we're planning for a Christmas party." Ichigo made the lie up on the spot.

"No you aren't. Whatever your doing, I am going with you." The man stated as he stepped out of the room. "And you might as well sit down for the breakfast your sister made you as I doubt a planning party is something you need to be in such a hurry that you'll miss out on."

"Plus, your sister's food is good baldy." Hiyori replied from downstairs. It was around an hour later that they found themselves headed to Urahara's shop with an extra tagging along. Tessai motioned for them to go into the back room and they found the three Rukia had called already there.

Uryu found himself frowning at the uninvited visitor. "Why did you bring him along?"

"Yeah... I had the feeling you guys were up to something. We aren't supposed to be making a move until the forty-six gives us the information." Hisagi sat down at the table while Tessai went off to get some tea.

Urahara came into the room and sat down. "Well, what are you guys doing here? I'm rather preparing for a quest, so I can't be of much help."

"We were wondering if there was a way to get to the place the Quincy are," Hiyori spoke up. "I'm going to find a way to do so anyways as I am going after the shrimp no matter what anyone says."

The man flicked his fan open. "I don't know how to get there... but my quest may." The striped hat man then narrowed his eyes. "However... I'm not sure my quest will be happy that all of you are here."

"No... I'm not happy at all. I thought I would just be speaking with you."

The familiar voice caused a good deal of the members to suddenly turn and look in the door way. Rukia's eyes widened and she felt cold shivers running down her spin, while the look on Hiyori's face became pure anger as she restrained herself from making a move. The looks from Ichigo's friends remained calm as the looked at the silver haired man.

Hisagi however lost his temper and he moved to pin the man against the wall. "You're supposed to be dead."

It was then that Renji came hurrying into the room rubbing the back of his head. "Urahara! We have an intruder who came in from Hueco Mundos! It's Ichimaru Gin and we need..."

The fukutaicho of the sixth division paused as he saw that said intruder was pinned against the wall. Urahara let out a deep sigh before snapping his fan shut. "He isn't an intruder. He's the guest I was telling you about. The quest I might add who knows how to get to the place that the Quincy live."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gin stated, frowning at him. His eyes drifted over to the blond haired Vaizard. "How's taicho doing?"

"I'm not speaking to him and I am _not_ speaking to you. You two are the _last_ people I want to see right now." Hiyori bubbled out.

Hisagi though pressed closer at Gin's throat. "How would this idiot know where that place is?"

"So... the person who took three times to get into the academy is telling someone who graduated in a year that he his an idiot?" The silver haired man smirked at the man with the numbered tattoo.

"Now, now. Sit down so that we can talk. He isn't the enemy. If there is an actual enemy." Urahara's words caused Hisagi to back off and the silver haired man sat down at the table rubbing his throat. "It is nice to see you Gin-kun."

"Well, I don't hold the same sentiment." Hiyori continued to glare at the man.

"Anyways, as I was saying... you know how to get into the place the Quincy are."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Gin took one of the glass of tea Tessai brought into the room, his perpetual smile continuing.

"I'm referring to the fact that you're a child of darkness." Urahara smirked at the man, watching as he suddenly flinched.

Gin let out a deep breath. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"How about I use the term Pure One?" Urahara watched as the man shook his head.

"Seriously... I don't know what you're talking about." The man continued to ignore the conversation. "After I finish my tea I'll be heading back."

"Why? You've been pardoned by the forty-six. You don't need to hide anymore."

"Don't listen to him. The only reason you've been pardoned and we've been pardoned is so that when we all show up in Soul Society they can order us executed at the same time." Hiyori folded her arms across her chest.

"Someone is paranoid." Gin let out a deep breath. "I wouldn't be welcome back and I wouldn't cause problems for Ran-chan."

Urahara let out a deep sigh. "I'll get to the point. Toshiro's met his sister."

Gin's eyes suddenly opened up and the smile on his face turned to a frown. "_What_ do you mean by he's met his sister?"

"To be exact, they've taken both children back with them yesterday." Urahara narrowed his eyes, his face twisting up with seriousness.

The cup in Gin's one hand suddenly snapped into pieces and blood and hot tea suddenly dripped from his hand. "_What_ do you mean _they've_ taken _them_ back? You're telling me that my _father_ now has _both _of them rather then just one?"

There was a period of silence as the others stared at him in disbelief. Hiyori blinked a couple of times. "So you _are_ a Shinigami and Quincy hybrid."

"There is no such thing as a hybrid between a Shinigami and a Quincy or a Shinigami and a Hollow." Gin's eyes narrowed. "The Hollow just represents the darker side of the soul, while the Shinigami Quincy are just different ways of controlling the power of the light side. They're just terms come up with due to the fact people have forgotten after a thousand years the truth."

"No wonder your messes up." Hisagi snapped the words out. "They taught you some really messed up things."

"No... the forty-six is covering up the fact they ordered the death of a small portion of the Shinigami population a thousand years ago because _some_ of them did some things to throw off the balance and they wanted to prevent them from seeking revenge. This isn't something that _is_ taught to the younger generations. My father didn't teach it to me either, it was my mother."

"So?" Hisagi continued to glare at the man.

"My mother would be the one you labeled as a Shinigami, _not_ my father. She left Soul Society with them because she disagreed with the massacre that went on. She told me many things about Soul Society, not because she was one of them." Gin snapped the words out. "I am seriously going to kill my father _and_ my brother when I get my hands on them for this."

"Do you really think you'll be able to do anything on your own?" Urahara spoke up. "And I might as well tell you that they've flat out said that removing them will be considered an act of war on Soul Societies part."

"My war with them has been going on ever since Ran and I fled that place if not a long time before that. She's lucky she doesn't remember that place or what my father did to her family."

"Hold on, what did this guy do to her family?" Hisagi shook his head. "What does Ran have to do with this?"

"One of her parents had their powers sealed so they could remain in Soul Society, which made her also a _hybrid_, if that is what you're going to call a child born of the two sides. Toshiro and his sister would be second generation with two parents split down the middle."

"Wait a second..." The dark haired male Shinigami blinked a couple of times. He didn't finish what he wanted to say however as he didn't want to say it.

Hiyori let out a deep breath. "No wonder I never liked that kid. He's _your_ kid."

"I'm going after them. This time I'm going to kill _him_ as well as my father." Gin stated.

"Whose _him_?" Chad asked.

"My brother. I should have given him a nice scar on his face when he took Ran's baby girl away. Ran couldn't stop crying, particularly since we almost lost Shiro-chan when he was born. And then she forgot and couldn't remember him or having her." Gin's entire body was shaking.

"Are you sure killing your family wouldn't start a war."

"That's what I intend to do."

"You're a moron!" Hiyori stated, suddenly hitting Gin on the head. "For someone who is as inteligent as you're supposed to be, you don't know social barriers! If your father and brother being killed will start a war then _don't_ kill them."

Uryu frowned. "Wait... that man with a scar on his face. He's the one who took Toshiro and Baba-chan back. That would explain why she acted familiar with them."

He then got a horrified look on his face. Hisagi spoke up. "If they took the children away I don't see how killing these two would start a war."

"_Because_ he hasn't told us _exactly_ who his father and brother are. Those with him referred to his brother as his _highness_." Uryu spoke up, looking straight at the silver haired man. "Your _father_ is the leader of this group, isn't he?"

"So? That doesn't change the fact that my father is a bastard and that I want to kill him and my brother for what they did." Gin spoke up, his eyes narrowed and frowning as he spoke.


	36. Progression of Life

**~Of Birthdays and Siblings~  
****_Progression of Life_**

Snow began to fall right before the group got back to the palace. Toshiro felt his stomach grumbling again and he felt the corners of his mouth twisting up in frustration. He thought back to when he had taken the time to eat and realized that while he had eaten lunch with the Kurosaki family yesterday, that was his one major meal. He had missed breakfast the day before, had snacks the night before at the party and gotten a small breakfast this morning.

He could feel his rieatsu beginning to tank and overwhelm him and he honestly hoped he would get to eat something soon. That was the honest problem with the reiatsu levels he had was the fact he had to eat more then anyone else his age. Having to do so had always made him feel out of place. He continued to frown as the headed into a great hall like area.

Food was spread out on the table and he found himself blinking at the number of foods, many of which he didn't recognize. He let out a deep sigh as he wasn't sure what he was going to do next. He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder and realized that everyone was handing their jackets to the people who seemed to be serving the table.

He blinked a couple of times until his uncle tugged on the jacket. "You can take it off now."

Toshiro found himself pulling the jacket off and handing if off to someone. He could feel the eyes of some of the older members of the group on him and he looked at them with a wary look on his face. He wasn't sure they were happy with the fact that he was there or not. He slipped into a chair next to his uncle and watched as the dishes were passed around and people dished their food up.

Gabrielli noticed that he wasn't making a move to dish up food for himself and she quickly shoveled some food from various dishes onto his plate. One of the elders tapped her on the shoulder and she looked over. The shake of the head they gave her indicated that her behavior wasn't something that they were pleased with.

Toshiro continued to glance at the food, not at all sure where to begin when his stomach grumbled again. His uncle spoke up from the side. "Eat. We always have a large meal after we come back. Each and every person here has a high level of reiatsu, so they need to eat a lot during meal time. Plus, you missed having a large breakfast this morning because I let you sleep in."

"Thank you." Toshiro stated as he picked one food to try and pick at and eat slowly.

"By the way, how does your head feel this morning?"

"I have a dull ache, but it is starting to subside." Toshiro put the food in his mouth and chewed it carefully, deciding whether he liked the food or not, or whether he could go ahead and simply eat it despite it not being something to his taste. He glanced around and swallowed, making the quick decision that he wouldn't bother complaining as there were a lot of older members there.

He finished the one plate and was glancing around to see what he wanted to eat next when someone came hurtling into the hall. "Uncle!"

The small male found himself suddenly flinching, his plate dropping to the table as he turned his head towards Bambietta. He watched as she suddenly launched herself at their uncle, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tightly. She blinked a couple of times while looking at Toshiro. "I was going to ask you where Toto-chan got to, but I see he's with you."

Gabrielli suddenly frowned. "Toto-chan?"

Toshiro heard a disgruntled muttering from the direction she was in and noticed that some of the older members were chiding her for her behavior again. The female turned to look at him, frowning as she did so. She had a look in her eyes as if she was had done something very wrong. The look was very familiar, one he remembered a few Shinigami using when they had found out they had not treated him with due respect because they hadn't realized he as a captain.

"So... you're Lady Bambietta's brother?" The female stated out loud, causing the younger members of the group to look up in surprise. Toshiro found himself glancing up at his uncle to see how he was reacting to the situation and there was a rather stern look on his face. The man reached out though and smiled, ruffling his hair. There was a bit of silence.

"Gabrielli babysat me when I was younger, so she heard me taking to you." Bambietta responded.

The situation was still tense and out of the corner of his eye he could see a few of the other look at each other in confusion. Toshiro continued to frown.

The other female let out a coughing sound. "Wait a second. If your the brother that she was always talking about, that would mean that your her twin brother. You're _shorter_ then her."

Toshiro found himself flinching when the female pointed out something that rather bothered him. He glanced down at the empty plate and he found himself frowning. Bambietta tugged on his arm. "Let's go play."

Two teal eyes glanced up and blinked a couple of times. Toshiro opened his mouth, still confused as to what was going on. His uncle let out a deep sigh. "Bambietta, you should let your brother finish eating."

"But I want to play with him now." The dark haired female launched herself at Toshiro and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Please Toto-chan?"

"I'll bring him around to your room _when_ he is finished eating." Her uncle shook his head in disbelief. Toshiro heard his sister storm off and he could also feel other people staring at him.

"I'm full. I'll just go now." He stated, standing up to follow his sister. He couldn't look anyone at the table in the eye as they were honestly a bunch of strangers to him.


	37. Of Monsters

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Of Monsters~_**

"So? That doesn't change the fact that my father is a bastard and that I want to kill him and my brother for what they did." The comment from the silver haired man caused the others to stare at him, the looks of horror written all over their faces. "Do ya all expect anything else from me?"

Urahara was the only one who acted like Gin's actions were normal. "Do you really believe that you can take your father and brother on along with any others that may stand in your way of taking back the children? Either you are completely insane or your purposefully going in to get yourself killed to pay for your past sins. Or my breaking the news to you means you haven't formulated a plan of attack and are going to get yourself killed because your letting your emotions get the better of you."

"Ichimaru Gin having emotions?" Renji snorted through his nose. "Now that is a laugh."

"I don't know..." Ichigo folded his arms across his chest. "Toshiro doesn't seem to have any emotions either, but he's just really good at hiding them."

An irritated sound came from the silver haired man's mouth and he flared out his rieatsu in a threatening response. "Why would you who have only met me a few times know me better then the people who met me many, many times?"

Orihime frowned at him. "But if you actually didn't care about anyone you wouldn't be trying to get Toshiro-kun and Baba-chan back to Rangiku-san. You actually _do_ care about them."

Urahara spoke up rather calmly. "Tell me Gin-kun. What did your father and brother do that makes you want to kill them."

"I told you. My brother took Ran's baby girl away. You called her Baba-chan."

"Is that really a reason to kill someone?" Rukia shook her head at the man. "I mean, he didn't harm anyone."

"He made Rangiku cry and I swore to his face I would kill him if I saw him again." Gin played with the broken pieces of the tea cup.

"That's stupid." Hisagi's words caused everyone to look at him, while Gin glared at him. "You don't want Rangiku to cry and yet you keep doing moronic things that may end up getting you killed which in the long run _will_ make her cry. I also doubt she would want you to go and kill your brother over something like that. You _also_ seem to have a major problem controlling your impulses rather then planning things out."

"I _planned_ out what I was going to do against Aizen for a hundred years so _don't_ go there." Gin stated.

"But you haven't been planning on what you will do when you see your brother next and thus you are stuck with the idea that you have to kill him even if there is another option that is much better." Urahara stated. "That doesn't however explain why you want to kill your father. If you kill him that would mean you would be taking over, or even your own son if you aren't accepted."

"My father is a bastard." Ichimaru repeated. "When he found out I was gifted he made me a member of the Stern Ritter at an early age. To be exact, I was _The E_."

"What does that stand for?" Renji frowned.

"The letter E stands for the English word _Executioner_." Gin spoke up.

The other members suddenly paled, but the red head shinigami let out a deep sigh. "I don't know any English."

Urahara set his fan down. "Gin-kun basically says his role was that of the Sokyoku for them. His father made him the executioner."

Hiyori frowned, folding her arms across her chest and glancing away. "No wonder you are so messed up."

"So you want to kill him because he wronged you as a kid?" Chad frowned. "That doesn't seem right.

"That's not why. I could have kept Toshiro close to Ran when he was younger and let her know he was her son despite the fact she lost her memories but I wanted to keep Aizen from turning him into a tool. Chances are he's already turned our daughter into a tool for his own uses and he'll try to do the same with Chibi Taicho."

Urahara let out a deep sigh. "What are you going to do if your father has changed after a hundred years? You also don't know if he's gotten stronger and you happen to have lost an arm and without it you haven't had as much of a chance to grow power wise like everyone else this year. You also know that you'll need a plan and from the sounds of how long you held onto that plan with Aizen it comes from the fact your father is as intelligent as you are. He knows that we're coming."

"If you thought I was dead then so will he. He won't expect that I am coming."

"Do you agree though trying to kill your father and brother isn't a good idea if you want to get them out? Not to mention you'll need help to get both children out as you aren't going to be seen as a friendly face to them. Even though Hitsugaya Taicho is likely the person you got closest to other then Rangiku this holds true that he'll have a negative reaction."

"I'm _not_ leaving them in that man's hands."

"How much time to you need to prepare and what do you need." Urahara stated. "And be sure to give me a way to get other in to rescue you and other people."

Gin swallowed. "Early tomorrow morning should be enough for me to formulate where it would be best to enter and to come up with other necessary plans. Anyone who is going will need winter clothing. The winter weather there is harsh."


	38. Dancing Screens

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Dancing Screens~_**

The sound of Toshiro's small feet hitting the ground was a light melody as he attempted to follow after his sister. He figured that he would be able to find her quickly as she had left only a few seconds before her. When he turned the corner he found himself unable to see her and he found his throat tightening up as he hurried forward and turned a few more corners.

"_That was stupid._" His dragon spoke up.

Toshiro let out an irritated sound and glanced around. The different doors looked very similar and he let out a deep sigh. "_Yes... that was stupid. The reason they haven't allowed me to go places on my own is because this place is huge._" A smile suddenly spread on his face. "However... I can freely explore and figure out where things are on my own."

He then found himself twisting down the corners and noting various land marks and making a mental map in his mind. He came to a point where a couple of the guards were standing in front of a couple of doors when a voice spoke up. He turned around and found a young male glaring at him, his arms folded across his chest. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm looking for Ba..." Toshiro paused, snapping his mouth shut. "_I almost called her Baba-nee in front of someone._" His cheeks flushed up and he glanced at his feet. "I'm looking for Bambietta."

"It's Lady Bambietta." The young man continued to glare at him. The boy had dark hair with a white streak in it.

"Apologies... I..."

"Just because your new doesn't mean you can forget proper protocol here. The only reason you're acting this way is because she favored you."

Toshiro found himself glancing to the side. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

"It doesn't matter if you intended it to happen, it in fact did happen. Why are you so close to Lady Bambietta that..."

The young man was interrupted by a female voice sounding off. "There you are Toto-chan!" Toshiro glanced up in time to see his sister hurrying up with a smile on her face. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the other male child glaring at him, making it clear that he felt like he was intruding. "We can play now."

The female grabbed Toshiro's hand and tugged him towards the door with the guards. She stopped short when the other boy spoke up. "Lady Bambietta..."

She turned her head to look at the boy. "Sorry. But I've been waiting for a very long time to play with Toto-chan, so I'm not going to share him today."

The sound of the other boy's jaw clenching could be heard as Toshiro found himself dragged away. The small boy found himself glancing at the ground. "I don't think he was upset about what you think he is. I don't think he likes me."

"Don't worry. You'll make good friends with Gabrielli and the others tomorrow." Bambietta spoke up as she tugged her brother along.

"So... he's related to Gabrielli?"

"She's his older sister." The female tugged him to a room where a thin layer of dust covered everything. A few places showed signs of having been intruded upon, but for the most part it was rather obvious it hadn't been lived in. "This is grandma's room."

Toshiro found himself choking slightly as he glanced around the room. It was one thing when his uncle had taken him to his fathers room, but this was different. "_I'm an intruder._"

"Toto-chan!" The small female walked over to a wardrobe and swung the doors open. "Look! The kimonos are beautiful."

His interest was at first pure boredom but he came over and glanced into the dresser drawers. He found his eyes widening and his throat tightening. One of his hands reached out and touched an elaborate kimono that was in his preferred colors. There were quite a few this color and he found himself noting that a good deal of the objects in this room matched color wise. "_Rangiku would love these._"

"All of mother's kimonos are in her room. They're different colors then these. We can go in there, but it also depends on uncle's mood."

"Uncle doesn't like mother?" Toshiro asked, his eyes blinking a couple of times.

"Uncle blames Soul Society first and foremost for taking you and father away, but he blames her next." Bambietta suddenly frowned. "He doesn't usually get angry and he loves to spoil me with stuff, but mother is a tricky issue with him. He doesn't like talking about father at all, so it doesn't feel like I know them like grandmother. I've always been allowed to play with this stuff, but I'm not allowed to bring the other kids in here."

"And the point of that is?" The small male shook his head.

"I haven't had anyone to play dress up with." Bambietta suddenly spun around on him with a smile on her face.

Toshiro found his eyes suddenly narrowing. "Baba-nee... you do realize that I am not a girl?"

"So?"

"So... do you think it is appropriate that I dress like a girl?"

"You look like a girl so it is fine."

Toshiro found his jaw dropping at the comment. "But... but..."

He felt his sister place his hands on either side of his face. Babietta began to chat his ear off. "You're prettier then I am."

"You're pretty."

The female let out a laugh. "I know I'm pretty, but you're a lot prettier then I am."

"Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?" The white haired boy shook his head.

"And your white hair goes so well with those pretty eyes of yours."

Toshiro let out a deep sigh and glanced back at the kimonos. The thought of how soft the one he touched was crossed his mind and his dragon spoke up. "_You are interested in trying one on. Not to mention your lessons with Matsumoto in traditional dance possibly rubbed off a little more then you would like to admit._"

"_I only took those lessons to get over my balance problems... but..._" Toshiro's hand reached in to touch the cloth again.

"So please! Play dress up with me!"

"No." The small male let go of the kimono and turned to leave as he figured that would end the subject.

A sudden yank that chocked him caused him to back up slightly.. Babietta's tone became demanding. "Please!"

"No..." Another tug and then another came at the back of his clothing and he could feel the cloth stretching out. "All right! All right!" The tugging didn't stop though and he realized she was trying to pull his clothing off. "Hold it! I can undress myself." He glanced over and saw a rather elaborate changing screen. "I'll change behind that, all right."

"I'll pick out the dress."

It _needs_ to be a kimono, _not_ a dress."

"Why?"

"Because I _am_ a boy!" Toshiro snapped before disappearing behind the screen. A hand reached around the corner and he found his eyebrow twitch. "I won't play with you if you don't play by my rules."

A sigh was heard and the item was pulled back and a kimono was pushed unceremoniously around the corner. Toshiro found himself undressing and removing the clothing he disliked so much. Glancing a the kimono, he found himself glad that she had picked out the color he licked, though he had the feeling the reason she had picked it was because it was the most elaborate.

Once the tight clothing was off, he found the next task an easy one as he was more comfortable in this kind of clothing. He stepped around the corner, only to find himself freezing from shock.


	39. Bad Impression

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Bad Impression~_**

Toshiro's uncle frowned as his nephew got up to leave, knowing full well that the child hadn't actually eaten his fill of food. The female Gabrielli sibling spoke up. "He didn't seem like he was comfortable around us. Though I do admit that I said something that made him rather uncomfortable. If you want, I can make sure he ends up finding Lady Bambietta."

"That is fine. Keep in mind that my father hasn't announced that we've brought him home, so don't tell anyone that he is related to us."

The tone the man gave her told her that something was frustrating the man, but then Bambietta was known for frustrating both of the male members of the leadership. She found herself stepping through the place he went through and quickly found that the small boy had disappeared. Letting out a deep breath, she shook her head. "He's a rather strange child."

She then began to scour the halls and finally came to find her brother pacing in front of a guard station. One of the guards glanced up and grumbled about the behavior. "Could you do something about your brother? He is rather distracting."

Gabrielli let out a deep sigh. "Klaus, what are you up to?"

"Lady Bambietta went through with _that_ person." The boy grumbled.

"You mean a boy around your age who has white hair and green eyes?" She asked, watching him carefully. When he simply glowered at her, she folded her arms across her chest. "Niklaus Gabrielli..."

"Fine, _he_ went in there with her."

"Now why don't you head on home. School is finished for the day." The female received another glare from her brother, but turned to the guards. "I need through to check up on them for his highness."

The guards nodded their heads, but her brother spoke up again. "I'm coming with you. If you don't, I'll keep pacing until you get out here."

Letting out a deep sigh, she spoke up again. "He'll be coming with me so I can keep an eye on him." When they got through, she smacked her brother on the back of the head. "I'm getting tired of you taking advantage of my position just so you can get in to see Lady Bambietta whenever you please. The rest of your classmates don't have that advantage."

"Who is he?" Niklaus' words caused her to inwardly flinch. "I mean, he just shows up out of nowhere at her birthday party and stands back in the corner ignoring everyone. Suddenly she is favoring him, giving him the first piece of cake. Which I might add, I am _not _the only person who isn't happy with that. And now she's wanting to play with him rather then us."

"I think you should give him a fair chance." Gabrielli let out a sigh.

"Why?" The boy snapped the words out. "He's _not_ one of us. I would have seen him in classes if he was important, which means he's another person who was brought from outside of Vandenriech. That also means he's got no status and yet she treats him like he is s great. He also has that freaky hair and eye color."

His sister knocked on the door to Bambietta's room, but received no answer. Frowning, she peeked in and upon noting that they were not there began to move from room to room. "I don't think you should assume that a person has no status simply because they are new here."

"He still snubbed us at the party! And she is favoring him over those of us who have been her friends for a very long time."

"Stop letting your crush get in the way of you thinking correctly."

The male gritted his teeth. "The fact I like her has nothing to do with this."

"Yes, well... if you say the wrong thing about him to Lady Bambietta, you'll end up on her bad side. She's held off speaking with you for a whole month once." The girl finally came to a door and paused.

"Why did you stop?"

"This is his majesties dead wife's room. Pretty much the only person who comes in here is Lady Bambietta and whoever is sent to look for her." Gabrielli suddenly felt her brother push past her and shove the door open.

"It isn't that hard to check to see if..."

Letting out a sound of irritation, she pushed her brother aside. "This is one room you _shouldn't_ follow me into, so get out."

She then found herself blinking a couple of times at what she saw. The young lord was staring right at them, having dressed in one of the kimonos. His cheeks were starting to flush up and he quickly dodged behind the screen to hide from her. She then heard Bambietta speak up. "Isn't he pretty."

"I'll just let your uncle know where the two of you are." Gabrielli then carefully closed the door and began to shove her brother towards the exit of the Royal Quarters. "I am going to ask that you forget what you saw there."

"Why? A guy was dressing up as a girl. I'm going to emphasize the fact a lot of us are irritated that he's being favored by her, the girls included. He's an absolute freak. What is he, other then her new toy?"

"That's... I can't answer that question." The female let out a deep sigh.

"That's because you and I both know that what she is doing is wrong and..."

"I'm going to tell you one more time. Do _not_ mention this in front of any of your friends. And knock off talking bad about him. It is one of the worst things you could possibly do. It isn't just Lady Bambietta you'll upset, but his Highness as well as his Majesty."

"I couldn't care about that."

Gabrielli shoved her brother to the side when they were out of the area. "Get out of my site. I need to make a report back to his Highness about where they are.


	40. Dancing Glass

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Dancing Glass~_**

As Toshiro stepped out from behind the screen, he found himself freezing upon hearing the familiar voice of the Gibarelli's younger brother. "It isn't that hard to check to see if..."

The small male found himself staring the other right in the eye and could see the look of shock on the others face as well. His dragon laughed in the back of his head. "_You should see the look on your face._"

It was then that Gabrielli pushed her brother out of the room. "This is one room you _shouldn't_ follow me into, so get out."

The next thing he knew Gabrielli was staring at him. "_I look so stupid."_

"Isn't he pretty."

"_Yup... very stupid._"

"I'll just let your uncle know where the two of you are."

The door clicked shut and Toshiro found himself swallowing as an awkward silence filled the room. He suddenly felt Bambietta tugging him over to the vanity and sitting him down in front. Toshiro looked in the mirror, frowning as he did so. "_Seriously though. Why couldn't I have been born a girl? Things wouldn't be so awkward between us and we'd have a relationship more like the Kurosaki twins._"

"_Shush now. You are just fine the way you are._"

Bambietta suddenly leaned in close so that their cheeks were touching, her arms wrapping around his neck. "You are pretty."

"Could you stop calling me that?" Toshiro spoke up.

"You don't like me calling you pretty?" His sister pulled away, a rather shocked look on her face.

"No."

"Then I'll call you cute."

"No."

"Handsome?" Toshiro's eyes suddenly went wide and he felt his cheeks flushing up. He could also see in the mirror that he was blushing, something that was rather unbecoming in his opinion for a male. "Well, no protest from that."

Her hands reached up and touched his hair and he found himself suddenly flinching. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to prettify your hair."

"What? No!" Toshiro tried to sit up, only to catch the rather angry look his sister gave him and feel her forcing him to sit back down. He glanced at the vanity. "_Seriously... she said she wasn't going to call me pretty and she did it again. Doesn't she get the fact that isn't something you're supposed to call a guy._"

Bambietta's fingers brushed through her hair and a smile was on her face and then a frown. Toshiro let out a deep sigh. "What ever is the matter?"

"Your hair... it is so soft. It's soft like your skin. You really are like a toy doll." The female continued to stare at his hair as she ran her fingers through the short tresses.

"You do realize that you've not been complimenting me but insulting me?" The boy let out a deep sigh. "I mean, I know these are things that are ideal for a female, but I am _not _a female. I am a male."

His sister suddenly frowned, before holding her arm up and squeezing a muscle experimentally. "How come your more like a girl and I'm more like a boy?"

Toshiro found himself blinking a couple of times. "_I hadn't thought about that before, but she is right._" Letting out a deep sigh he glanced at the table. "You were raised by uncle and grandfather while I was raised by a kind lady I've always called granny. I guess we picked up traits from them because they were our role models when were younger."

Her head suddenly leaned on top of his head. "So, we basically balance each other out despite being the opposite sex."

Two bright teal eyes blinked a couple of times again. "Yeah... but I'm thinking along the lines that neither one of us likes the fact that we have traits that are favored in the sex that is opposite of what we are." Toshiro then paused. "Wait a second... you aren't that much muscle in your arms. What masculine traits do you have other then your personality."

The female leaned forward. "I am lacking in the chest area."

Toshiro felt the corner of his mouth suddenly twitch and he found himself suddenly blurting something out as the door opened again. "Being flat chested is better."

"No it isn't! Give me one reason why me being flat chested is better then actually having a chest."

"It means that I'm more comfortable with you hugging me from behind." The answer came. A coughing sound came from the door and Toshiro turned his head in surprise. "U... uncle!"

"I was told not to get angry at you two by a certain someone. Exactly what are you two up to?" The man let out a sigh before walking over to the two.

"We're playing dress up and I'm just about to do his hair." Bambietta opened something and grabbed comb and stuck it in Toshiro's hair at the _wrong _position.

"It was this, or have her stretch out my clothing." Toshiro grumbled. He felt his eye twitch and his small hand quickly remove the comb and reposition it so that it was pulling his hair back like it would if he was going to preform a traditional dance.

The small female leaned in close. "I don't know... you aren't just good at this, but you really seem to be enjoying yourself."

"Toshiro..." The small male glanced up to see his uncle was frowning at him, as if something was bothering him. "Where did you learn to dress in a kimono and these other things."

"My fukutaicho, Matsumoto Rangiku." Toshiro stated, blinking a couple of times. He saw the sudden anger in his face.

"It's almost lunch time and we'll be eating with his majesty. Go and get ready Bambietta. Your brother needs to get changed."

His sister rushed then out of the room and Toshiro watched as his uncle turned his back on him. The tone in the man's voice was different then it had been before. As the man walked to the door, he suddenly found himself sputtering. "Wait!"

His uncle paused and didn't bother looking back over his shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it."

"No, I think you've misunderstood something. I don't dress like this because I enjoy dressing like a girl. I was taught to dress this way because I was learning traditional dance and it doesn't matter if you are male or female, everyone wears the appropriate... well." Toshiro noticed the look his uncle was giving him and glanced at the floor and muttered under his breath. "Though I admit that a wearing a dress is more like the standard uniform."

A loud sigh was heard and Toshiro felt the comb removed, though a few strands had already managed to fall astray due to how short his hair was and how quickly he had put it up. He then felt his uncle hug him. "Believe it or not, I _heard_ the last thing you said. I don't care if you dress like a girl or not. Don't worry about what I was talking about because it hasn't crossed your mind."

A hand ruffled his hair and Toshiro felt the hand ruffle his hair carefully. He narrowed his eyes. "_Don't worry about what? And why is he hugging me like this?_" Toshiro suddenly pushed away. "I need to change. And I'm not..."

"Just be yourself."

Toshiro closed his eyes rather quickly. "_But who am I_?


	41. Luncheon

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~ Luncheon~_**

Toshiro found his uncle waiting for him outside of the room to help him get to the dining room. The man placed a hand on his head and carefully rubbed the tresses before they headed off. When they got to the table, Toshiro found himself blinking a couple of times upon seeing the long table and Bambietta waiting for the meal to start.

Juhabach glanced up and glanced at his younger son. "I wish to speak to you about that matter after lunch."

"I've told you before that I do not agree with your assessment or what you plan on doing. You _know_ why."

Toshiro sat down and Bambietta glanced up with a smile on her face. Their grandfather turned to them. "How was the day for you two."

The man clapped his hands and the meal was beginning to be served. The atmosphere had a stuffy feel to it that was suddenly broken by his sister's comment. "Toto-chan makes a very pretty girl."

Toshiro found himself looking up at his grandfather, a bit fearful of how a man would react. His uncle was also looking at the man to see how he would react. The man had a rather amused look on his face. "Excuse me?"

"Toto-chan played dress up with me with grandmother's clothing."

The small white haired boy felt his cheeks flush up and he found himself forced to look away from Juhabach. "I'm sorry?"

The man however let out a laugh. "You are a very strange, but interesting child. There is nothing to apologize for. I _want_ you to make up for what you've missed when you were younger."

Toshiro found himself glancing up in confusion, when another man came into the room and taking a bow. The man looked right at him and Toshiro found himself suddenly looking away. The man had been someone who had been in the group with them. "I apologize for intruding, but a few of us who have seen... well, your grandson... we're wondering when you'll announce him to the whole of Vandenreich."

The small boy suddenly dropped the utensil and glanced up with a guilty look on his face. "_I don't like being a problem for people._"

Juhabach noticed the look on his face and waved him off. "You're not in trouble." He then turned back to the man. "Why do you ask?"

"We were wondering how we should address his highness as we don't even know his name and we can't yet address him properly in front of others for one thing."

"Don't worry, I'll announce it soon."

"Hitsugaya..." Toshiro spoke up without realizing it. "My name is Hitsugaya Toshiro and I would rather you simply call me Hitsugaya."

Juhabach let out a deep sigh. "We'll see about that. It isn't that simple." The man then paused. "You were addressed in the Gotei Thirteen as Captain Hitsugaya were you not?"

The untesil began to play with the food and the man next to the man blinked a couple of times. "Your highness was a captain of the Gotei Thirteen? Won't they notice that he is missing from their ranks? I mean, he is a captain after all?"

"Probably..." Toshiro let out a deep sigh. "Me being a captain isn't that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?" Juhabach laughed. "You were the youngest to ever enter the academy, you graduated in a half a year, you're the second oldest to ever be fukutaicho and the youngest to have ever achieved Bankai and the youngest to ever become a child."

A small hand set the utensil down. He turned to look at the man. "If you have that information... that means you've been keeping an eye on me in Soul Society. If you knew where I was, then why didn't you try and retrieve me?"

Juhabach frowned. The look on his face wasn't angry, but it was obvious something was upsetting him. "We had information, but we couldn't move without Soul Society assuming we were kidnapping you rather then simply retrieving one of our own."

"Don't worry your highness. We won't let Soul Society force you away from your home." The one man said, before bowing and leaving the room.

Toshiro fond himself pausing at the statement before looking up at his uncle. "What exactly did he mean by that?"

"He probably thinks that Soul Society thinks of you as an important asset due to the fact you are a child genius."

"He isn't incorrect in assuming that Soul Society would consider you an asset, particularly if they felt they could hide your blood status as a Child of Darkness. Particularly the forty-six. You probably think favorably on the forty-six..."

"I don't your majesty." Toshiro stated, his tone taking a business like tone. "Even though there is a new regime and things are changing for the better, there hasn't been enough time to decide if the new one will right the wrongs of the past one or if they will also cover up things like that Vaizard, or..."

There came a pause that was interrupted by Bambietta. "Is something the matter Toto-chan?"

More silence came, and he stirred his food with the utensil. His uncle let out a coughing sound. "We are family, so we won't judge you."

"My friend during academy years also summoned Hyorinmaru, so we were both summoned in front of the forty-six so that we could duel to the death. I was willing to give up Hyorinmaru, but..." Toshiro paused, closing his eyes."

There was a silence and Bambietta was glancing around, confusion written all over her face. "What exactly is the matter. Grandfather and Uncle... you both look bothered by this."

Toshiro then glanced up. "Is there something I should know?"

Juhabach let out a cough. "You have a very special zampaktuo Toshiro. It was... well, you could say that your zampaktuo's mother was your grandmother's zampaktuo, or its grandmother even. The dragon zamapktuos are passed down through a family blood line,"

"Was Yamamoto grandmother's father? Was that why he let you go despite the fact he was likely ordered to kill you?"

Juhabach's face suddenly flared with anger, but it calmed when the man with the scar on his lip held up his hand to interfere. "Actually, he was her uncle and he is the grandfather of your mother. You do understand that despite the fact he is family, that his and his Majesties encounter was not a good one."

Toshiro glanced at the ground. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

"You're not in trouble. Don't bring his name up around here though. The younger generations don't know who he is, but there are people who have not forgotten the war."

"But I want to know about the other grandpa, uncle thingy." Bambietta stated.

Toshiro glanced up to see that his sister was picking at her food. "Grandpa, uncle thingy?"

"Well, he's our great-grandfather as well as our great, great-uncle."

Toshiro found himself frowning, before turning to look at Juhabach. "There is one thing I have to ask. If he knew that I was blood related to him because of my zampaktuo, why didn't he ever tell me?"

Juhabach's nostrils flared, but he kept his temper checked. "Possibly because he would have had to admit a lot of truths and even speak of things he doesn't want to talk about any more then we do. Subject is closed.


	42. Moving Out

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Moving Out~_**

Bony thin fingers tapped on the wooden table down in Urahara's training field. He glared at the map he had drawn and the hand written notes explaining how to open the gate. A voice broke him from his concentration and he looked up to see Hisagi glaring at him. "You called my name?"

"When are you going to be finished with those calculations of yours." The man folded his arms across his chest.

"I haven't been to Vandenreich for a very long time, so I'm double checking things to make sure I don't open the gate in the wrong place." Gin continued to tap his fingers on the table. "We should be there by noon though, as I am almost finished with my calculations." The man then glanced up with his pale teal eyes. "Or is there something else you wish to discuss with me?"

Hisagi simply glared at the man, his mouth pulled into a tight frown. "If you don't have a clue what I am upset about then there is no reason for the two of us to even speak about the subject."

"I have a good idea what you want to talk to me about. You want to tongue lash me for what I've done to Ran-chan and Shiro-chan." The silver haired man opened his eyes and the fake smile suddenly fell. "My question for you is why are you so concerned?"

"Isn't the better question why I am so much more concerned then you?" The dark haired shinigami snapped his words out.

Gin simply went back to making his notes on the chart, his smile still gone. He then glanced up again as a loud thumping sound was heard and Urahara slid down the ladder after a rather large package he had brought. "I've gotten all of the winter clothing you guys will need." The man then glanced between the two who were down stairs. "Have I missed something?"

"He's jealous." Gin's comment caused Hisagi's eyebrow and cheek to twitch.

"Jealous? You think it is a simple matter of being jealous?" The next words snapped out. "My problem comes from the fact I would have treated both of them better."

Urahara suddenly crossed his hands in front of his chest. "Hold it! This is the worst time to argue about who could have been the better husband and father."

It was then that Gin's reiatsu suddenly flared out. "Well, I think it is the best _time_ to make my point. That idiot makes the assumption he would have handled things differently if he had been in the situation, He doesn't _know_ Aizen and he doesn't _know_ that bastard I have for a father."

"So what, are you going to use your father as an excuse for your behavior all these years?"

"No. I _don't_ want Shiro-chan to end up like me." Gin got up and headed over to the pile that had been dropped. "Seriously... I know full well there is no excuse for my psychotic behavior and I _am_ trying to control it. Be forewarned there may come a time when I can't control it. And don't you dare say you would be able to, because you don't know."

"I do know." Hisagi snapped the words out. "I know what it is like to have a blood lust that you have to keep under control."

"You weren't taught as a child that killing people was a game." The boy snapped the words out. "You also knew that the people you killed wouldn't come back to _play_ with you again. The only person teaching me right from wrong was my mother, and there was a limit to what she could and couldn't explain because of the way my father choose to explain things."

"Your brother... was he taught the same way as you?" Urahara asked, raising an eyebrow as Hiyori slid down the ladder.

Gin's head shot up, his eyes open and his mouth twisted into a frown. "My brother... my brother was a normal child who could make friends easily. He spoke as a child should speak."

"Why the hell did you bring your brother up?" The small female's voice was loud. "And wouldn't _any _child seem normal compared to you?"

"Take that back." The silver haired man's mouth twisted into a pout.

"You know, I don't _care_ if I insulted you." Hiyori snapped.

"I think he took what you said as an insult towards Hitsugaya Taicho, because you just down played the fact the child captain is a child genius." Urahara sighed. "At least that is how he's likely seeing it... I think."

"Except he _is_ a normal child compared to you. He _isn't_ a psychopath!"

"I wasn't either at the time I am referring to." Gin pulled out a tiny winter outfit. "For the children?"

"No! For cute Hiyori!"

"Shut up!" The blond female landed a kick at Urahara's head for the said comment. "Anyways, what are you guys talking about."

"You might as well fill us in about your father a bit more."

"My father saw me as an animal and not a person." Gin spoke up.

"But why?" Hiyori asked.

Urahara picked up on the sudden rieatsu flare. "Now, now. It is his choice as to whether or not he tells us. I think we've drifted into a rather... personal area for him."

"We've got to get moving soon. I'm thinking that Shinji is starting to suspect something."

"That's why we're here now." Ichigo dropped down the ladder, landing on his feet. "Who all is going."

"I am, of course." Hiyori hiked a thumb at her chest.

"Well, there is Hiyori-chan, Gin-kun, you Ichigo and your Quincy friend."

"I'm going as well." Hisagi stated, glaring at Ichimaru as he did so. "I honestly don't trust the man."

"I'm going. My zampaktuo s suited for this kind of weather." Rukia stated

"So, that makes eight." Urahara stated firmly.

"I'll go as well." Renji spoke up."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because two fukutaicho are already going, which will raise enough suspicion as it is." Urahara sighed. "I am hoping eight will be enough because that is all the outfits I packed and honestly, this is who I had planned on going.


	43. Classes

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Classes~_**

Toshiro awoke the next morning to a jarring pain in his ribs. He felt himself jolting up slightly and saw that Bambietta was on top of him. He leaned back and tried remembering what was supposed to be going on. The small female pulled on her clothes. "Come on! Let's get you breakfast so you can go to your first day of classes! I'll be taking you."

The small taicho flopped over onto his side and let out a groan. He closed his bright teal eyes and took a deep breath. "_She's treating me like a child who is starting the first day of school. This is absolutely embarrassing._"

"_If you think about how she treated you during dinner last night, you'll know she lives to drain your mental energy. Learn to ignore her comments._"

"_Yeah right..._"

"Come on... get dressed already." Bambietta tugged on his night clothes in an attempt to take them off.

"I can change by myself." Toshiro's eyes narrowed. "_She's also a drain on my physical energy due to her constant clingy... messyness._"

"Yeah, but..."

"Get out!" The small child snapped the words out before shoving her away. He saw the rather hurt look on her face and let out a deep sigh. "Stay outside of my... our father's old room."

The boy found himself changing his clothing before leaving the room. His sister was waiting out side of the room for him. She then grabbed the right sleeve of his clothing and dragged him through the halls and past the guards to a room similar to the classrooms at the academy. Quite a few students were gathered there and a bunch of the other students looked up when they entered.

The young male that he had met the day before glared at him, not at all pleased with the fact that Toshiro had showed up. Niklaus looked at where Bambietta's hand was latched onto Toshiro's sleeve. The white haired child felt his stomach churn as the eyes bore into him. One of the teachers noted he was there and motioned for him to sit with the younger children and his stomach flipped again.

"_Now that is an insult._" Toshiro could see the smirk forming on the boy's face and he found himself glancing at the ground. He could hear all of the teachers as they spoke to their groups and thus came to the conclusion that they were broken into groups based on skill and age. The youngest were being taught basic concepts of how spiritual pressure and such worked for the Quincy.

Eventually though he found himself dismissed and Bambietta came and grabbed his arm. He watched as the younger students left. "We're going to the training grounds now."

"Why?" Niklaus spoke up. "He's not learned any of the stuff he needs to use on the training field, so there is no point in him coming until they graduate the first group up and start teaching them the basics that need to be used."

Toshiro could hear a few giggles from some of the females and he looked away, only to have Bambietta tug on his sleeve. "He doesn't know his way around, so he has to stay with me."

"Yeah... but you've graduated already and you don't have to stay." This comment caused Bambietta to temporarily let go of his sleeve and a yelp from a male student could be heard, though it wasn't Niklaus. She then came back and pulled him along to the training field. Unlike the training fields at the academy it happened to have benches to sit on and Bambietta sat down next to him with a smile on her face.

A Quincy around the age of a high school student was directing the lessons. He glanced up to see Toshiro standing there. "I am under the instructions from the teachers to show you the basic techniques."

"What is the point though when he's not going to get to this stuff until later."

"Shut up." Bambietta snapped at the male. The young male demonstrated the techniques and then headed out to replace the targets before coming back.

"You'll be needing this I think." The student teacher stated, holding out a Quincy cross.

Toshiro's eyes went wide before glancing at the ground. "_I'm a Shinigami, not a Quincy."_

"Why is he getting special treatment?" The comment came from one of the children who was physically around his age.

"Would you like to try your hand?" The teacher asked, which caused a few more whispered protests to be heard. He could feel Bambietta's hands grip his arm tightly and he could see from the side that she wasn't happy.

He carefully stood up and his mind processed the information that he had gotten today as well as the information he had also received about the Quincy who tended to run around with the Substitute Shinigami. "_Goodness knows this is as boring as my academy years." _

Toshiro walked over and took the small device in his hand, fingering the cold metal in his fingers. He carefully attached it to his wrist and flexed his fingers before raising his hand and repeating exactly what the older teen had done. A mummer between the students occurred, including a few curses. One of the people cursing was Niklous.

The small white haired male went and sat back down while the other students began to practice their techniques. Eventually though they were dismissed for a break and Toshiro found himself tugged to a small recreation room. He suddenly found the shoulder of his clothing tugged on and himself being forced to look Nikolous in the face.

The young man was livid. "Why is it you had to show off? You outdid what even Lady Bambietta did."

Toshiro suddenly found a fist flying at his face and he found himself dodging. He also found himself placing his arms up crossed to block the blows. He was prepared to fight back when a figure with dark hair stepped between them. Bambietta's hand suddenly slapped the other male across the cheek. "Leave my brother alone!"

Inwardly the white haired male flinched. "_It hasn't been announced yet. Is she a moron._"

"That can't be." The male suddenly looked at Toshiro his face paling. In the mean time,

Bambietta tried to launch herself at the male. "He _is_ my brother!_"_

Her hand balled up into a fist, only to be grabbed by Toshiro. "Stop it."

"But he..."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes at her. "The first rule of the city is when you come home wash your hands. Second rule is no eating food that was on the ground."

The corner of his sister's mouth suddenly twisted up. "What does this have to do with anything? Those are silly..."

"Rule three is that battles are one-on-one." The boy found his throat tightening. He couldn't shake a foreboding feeling and his mind didn't like the conclusion it was coming to. "This isn't your fight, so back off."

"But I want to help you."

"If you want to help me then show me back to my... the place I've been staying the last few days. I'm starting to get a head ache." His sister let out a deep sigh while he closed his eyes. "_I am quite sure that I felt his reiatsu. Why is he here? He's supposed to be dead._"

"_It was rather brief._"


	44. Strange Feelings

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Strange Feelings~_**

Everyone on the training field was staring at Toshiro and he honestly didn't like the feeling. The student teacher's lips were pushed together almost as if he wasn't sure whether to punish Niklous simply for fighting or to put forward a punishment for attacking on of the royal family. The young man in question had a horrified look on his face while some of the female students began to whisper to themselves.

None of this caught Toshiro's attention as something had occurred that outweighed the discomfort of having people stare at him and the worry that they thought he was a freak was pushed aside. The presence was there briefly, but he felt the poisonous snake like reiatsu coming from a very particular direction and his instinct was to defend. His eyes were staring forward at the door.

"If you want to help me then show me back to my... the place I've been staying the last few days. I'm starting to get a head ache." The head ache wasn't a lie, but it wasn't simply caused by the stress of being among children his age, but the stress of not knowing what that person was up to.

Bambietta grabbed his sleeve and tugged him towards the door. "All right."

They had gotten a few doors down when Toshiro spoke up again. "Actually, I don't need you to take me back to the room I've been sleeping in. I need you to take me somewhere else."

The small female frowned. "Don't worry, I'm taking you to the infirmary."

"No." The small white haired male suddenly crashed into his sister's back.

The small dark haired female turned to look him in the face. "You are not feeling well."

"It is an emergency. I need you to take me to wherever they're keeping Hyorinmaru."

The female's frown deepened. "So you can attack Gabrielli? Even I wouldn't do something like that."

"Not him, someone else."

"You're making no sense at all." Bambietta's normally cheerful tone became suddenly serious. "While you may be my brother and a member of the royal family, your zampaktuo was taken away because you may feel ties to Soul Society and feel we are for some reason a danger to you."

"The person I need to go after isn't a Quincy, he's a former Shinigami."

The small female paused. "I do not understand." Her small hand let go of his sleeve before reaching up to push on the back of his neck so that their foreheads were touching. "You aren't running a fever Toto-chan."

"So, you didn't feel that particular spiritual pressure back there?"

The girl shook her head at him. "I didn't think I gave you this bad of a head injury."

"Look, the person in question is very dangerous. I have to stop him before he gets closer to the palace or any of the villages. He's _not_ a nice person."

"Why?"

"Duty." Toshiro spoke up.

"Except I didn't feel this spiritual pressure." Bambietta grabbed his sleeve and proceeded to tug him towards the infirmary. "The head nurse will see to you and give you a sedative."

"No." The small boy tugged his sleeve away. "Maybe the reason you didn't feel his spiritual pressure is because you don't know him, but if he is here he can't be up to any good. He never was up to any good in the past. If you won't help me find Hyorinamaru I will find it myself." He watched the look of disgust his sister gave him and then turned to leave. "Fine, I will find it on my own."

"As if you could find your way around here. So I'm not worried that you'll find it and take off to do something stupid." There was a moment of silence before she spoke up again. "I'll just find you when you either pass out form your head injury or you become to hungry to continue your search."

The small male choose to ignore her, placing his hand on the wall before heading down a certain path. "_Hyorinmaru... you felt that as well, did you not._"

"_I did_." The zampaktuo spoke up.

"_Will you help me find you before he gets to close to this place. I have to protect Baba-nee._"

"_She may not need to be protected._"

"_I feel there is a danger, so please help _me." Toshiro then found the zampaktuo's reiatsu suddenly flare out coupled with an exploding sensation. He hurried forward and made a few twists before finding a hole in the wall as a few guards gathered. They stared at him in confusion before glancing at the zampaktuo spirit that was in human form in front of them. Their faces had a clear look of confusion on their faces.

"Young master." Toshiro moved forward in order to get to his zampaktou, only to have the guards step between them. Hyorinmaru raised an eyebrow. "If you do not step from between me and my shinigami I shall be forced to hurt you. Of course, he could easily defeat you on his own."

The white haired child watched as they stepped aside. The small boy himself stepped forward and caught the blade as it transformed again. He then turned and used flash step. "_You know where my winter clothes are?_"

"_Yes... we have to hurry. The palace is going to be in an uproar over this despite the fact your intensions are good. Actually... it seems that some were starting to make a move. Someone must have felt his spiritual pressure."_

"_Yeah... but while they may know he is a threat, do they know __what__ they are in fact dealing with. Ichimaru is not someone who can be understood by many._" The boy hurried into his room and grabbed his clothing, hurrying to put it on. He then flash stepped away in the direction he had felt the rieatsu in. As he hurried along, he suddenly found himself crashing into someone.

He found himself falling on his bottom and looking up at his uncle. The man's face was twisted up in anger. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Defending Baba-nee."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm going after him. I don't know who else felt his reiatsu, but he _is_ dangerous and I'm _not_ going to let him harm my sister." Toshiro got up on one knee watching his uncle carefully.

The look on the man's face was still stern, frowning at him. "I forbid you."

"You can't make me." The boy slowly stood up, suddenly feeling his uncle's spiritual pressure flare out. "I'm not going to be negatively effected by your spiritual pressure this time around."

"And how are you going to get out? You're far from the exit and I can easily have you captured and jailed for your own protection."

Two bright eyes suddenly narrowed. "Protection? You seem to be forgetting that I am... was a captain of the Gotei Thirteen for good reason. I can easily protect myself and I'm the only one who knows what everyone is going to be up against."

"Don't kid yourself. Stop acting like an egotistical brat." His uncle glared at him and Toshiro realized that his path back was now being blocked.

"I can also make my own exist to go after him and stop him." A small hand gripped the blade, before muttering something. A suddenly blast was felt as he released his zampaktuo and the wall came crashing down. Snow came into the room and fell at a fast rate. His uncle covered his face and began to shout out orders while Toshiro took off.

"_That look on uncle's face... I don't think he is ever going to forgive me for this stunt, but..._"

"_I know. Protecting your sister is important, though I don't think the threat is as big as you think it is._"

"_How so?_"

"_It isn't my place to explain it._"

_Author's note – I had originally planned on this chapter being Gin and company entering the place, but it didn't work and felt more like filler on top of being just to short. So, I skipped to this part._


	45. Turmoil

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Turmoil~_**

The small white haired child could feel the snow fall down on his head and a chill in his bones despite the fact he was wearing warm winter clothing. Toshiro brushed the feeling off as simply a symptom of feeling trepidation. In his mind wherever Ichimaru Gin went, so did his lust for causing trouble along with the silver haired man's apparent blood lust.

The boy noted his surroundings as he neared the place that he had felt the reiatsu appear in Vandenreich. The place was filled with shallow crevices that varied from twenty to fifty feet deep along with a rough hill range that had various cave areas appearing here and there. Toshiro's bright teal eyes though picked up movement and the figure that he knew somehow to be Gin.

The next thing the boy knew, he was moving forward and drawing his blade against the former Shinigami, not noticing that there were others around him. The metal clang of Hyorinmaru hitting Shinso was heard along with the mute mutterings of the others around him. The sounds of disbelief at his actions went unnoticed as his eyes looked up at the taller figure and right into the man's face.

Gin was frowning at him, his eyes open and one hand reached back to touch the hood of his own winter clothing. The normal grin that Toshiro was used to being on the man's face was gone and in its place was a scowl. "Shiro-chan, what are you doing?"

"What are you doing here?"

A deep sigh was heard from the side. "I told you that our location was given away because he messed up on opening the pathway here."

The white haired child startled at hearing the voice of Abarai Renji and the silver haired man managed to push him away, causing the boy to stumble. Toshiro could feel his throat tighten and the heat rise in his ears. "_What are they doing with him? No... better yet, how did he get them to trust him of all people? Something isn't right._"

"Ichimaru!" Toshiro's reiatsu flared out and he gritted his teeth together before lunging at the man. Before he could lock blades again, he suddenly felt someone grab him underneath his arms in an attempt to hold him back. "Toshiro, knock it off! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Let go Kurosaki! I don't trust him after what he did and there is no telling why he's here." Toshiro's words came out and his thought process began to whir. "_He's managed to brainwash even Kurosaki? The situation isn't good at all. Is this what uncle meant when he said I would be in danger?_"

The silver haired man's posture changed from a defensive position to a relaxed standing position. The boy found himself gritting his teeth at the man while his eyes remained narrowed and focused on Gin. The fukutaicho of the ninth division suddenly stepped in between the boy and the man. "Hitsugaya Taicho, you need to clam down."

"Don't tell me to calm down when all of you are acting like complete idiots!" Toshiro strained against the Substitute Shinigami's grip, his voice straining from the panic he was suddenly feeling. He could feel a pain in his chest as his breathing strained. He was about to chew them out like he always did with Matsumoto when a Quincy arrow came hurtling out of nowhere.

The small boy found himself falling backwards as Ichigo lost his balance due to the sudden attack. He landed on top of the orange haired teen and found himself able to twist out of his grip and he pushed himself up to see that a group of Quincy had appeared around the group. He took in the fact that Chad and Uryu had come with Ichigo and among the Quincy that were attacking were his uncle and the elder Gabrielli siblings.

Toshiro pushed himself away from the substitute and could feel the tension rising. His uncle spoke up. "I told you that coming here to take either of the children back would be taken as an act of war."

"As if I'm a part of Soul Society." The small child felt his cheek twitch upon hearing Hayori's voice. "We're..."

"Oh... its an act of war all right." When the acidic toned words came from Gin's mouth, Toshiro found himself turning to look at the man in a panic, only to see him flash stepping from his view. The boy's bright teal eyes followed the direction the man took and the next thing he knew, he heard his uncle and Gin's blades suddenly crashing together. "I am seriously going to kill you."

"No!" Toshiro found himself moving as Ichigo let out a groan, only to find his bath quickly blocked by the group that had come with Gin. He found himself chocking on his spittle that came up due to the shock the situation was causing. The next thing he knew each of those who had come from outside of Vandenreich also found themselves with an opponent.

The small found found himself suddenly standing up, only to find Gabrielli standing between him and Kurosaki Ichigo. The boy held up his hand. "Wait!"

"I apologize your highness, but I can't allow this Shinigami to harm you."

Toshiro felt his cheeks suddenly puff up in frustration. "Kurosaki _isn't_ a Shinigami, he is a Substitute."

"Thanks Toshiro..." The orange haired teen frowned at the two, irritation on his face.

This caused Toshiro to swallow, wondering how many people he would make angry with him before the whole thing was through. "And Kurosaki won't hurt me Gabrielli."

"What I saw a few minutes ago didn't look like he wouldn't harm you. It looked he was trying to take you prisoner."

"Seriously?" Toshiro shook his head at the female. "I can very well take care of myself."

"I know that you were taught to fight as a shinigami, but that doesn't change the fact you're in over the head."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the female. "You do realize that Toshiro is the captain of the tenth division of the Gotei Thirteen? I wouldn't say he's in over his head at all... well... maybe with the situation between Soul Society and what ever it is you call yourselves."

"Excuse me, why are you acting like you aren't a member of Soul Society?" Gabrielli's blade was still locked with Ichigo's despite the threat, though a few had turned their attention away from the fight.

"That's because only some of us are members of Soul Society," Hiyori piped up. "Or didn't shorties words make that clear to you?"

Toshiro found himself turning his head to look at where Gin and his uncle was and he pushed his lips together. He found himself moving towards the pair, noticing they were arguing about something. He couldn't hear what was going on, but he could feel his stomach pitching as if something bad was going to happen.

Then the tremors came along with the heavy rieatsu that indicated that Hollows were going to come through the eye like crevices from their world. The small taicho didn't notice that he was close to a steep edge and instead found himself looking up. He drew his blade, glancing from the Hollow that had come through near him towards his uncle.

He watched as Gin suddenly turned to look towards him. The action should have allowed his uncle to land a blow on the silver haired man, but it in fact did not occur. Instead, he felt himself suddenly hit from the back and knocked to the ground and his zampaktuo hurtling towards the edge. He lunged for it, hoping his momentum wouldn't carry him over the edge.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gin suddenly turn towards his uncle and slash the dark haired man across the chest before moving back towards Toshiro. The small boy found his hand reaching for the hilt of his blade, wondering which he would need to attack first, the Hollow or Ichimaru Gin.

In reality, he was to close to the edge. He was surprised to suddenly feel someone grab him from behind, before a blow from the Hollow caused enough forward momentum to launch both him and whoever had made it to his side over his edge. His eyes closed as he let go of Hyorinmaru. "_Who?_"


	46. Trepidation

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Trepidation~_**

The dark haired man was reaching for the doorknob of his father's study in order to leave when he suddenly felt a very particular reiatsu. He found himself pausing, the corner of his mouth twitching suddenly. He kept his hand on the doorknob and spoke up. "I can handle this."

"I don't want him dead." His father's voice remained calm. "So hold back when you face hm. I want him brought back alive, though I have the feeling you want that as well. So don't worry about me trying to hunt him down and kill him. And as for our conversation, don't let our argument get in the way of your thought process. In fact, don't let your feelings for your brother get in the way."

The man let out a sigh and opened up the door before hurrying off. His plans to gather a few of the Stern Ritter was interrupted by a sudden explosion coming from the weaponry and he could feel his nephews rieatsu suddenly flaring out. He let out a deep breath before heading in the direction, waving to the few who crossed his path.

One of the people was the eldest Gabrielli sibling. "That explosion..."

"That explosion was my nephew. His destructive power is far worse then his sister." The man kept feeling for the child as he moved through the halls. He gave an order to head the boy off.

"But sir..." The female frowned, her dark lipstick suddenly sticking.

"Out with it Gabrielli."

"Is the only reason we're going after him because he is a former Shinigami? I mean, when Bambietta causes trouble you normally go after her yourself." The female's eyes narrowed at the man.

"The situation is complicated." The man signaled for Gabrielli to take a group down another hall to cut the boy off. As he made a particular turn he felt something small crash into him. Glancing down he saw that the boy had fallen down and was glaring at them. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Defending Baba-nee."

The man suddenly felt his throat tighten, only to tighten more as he listened to his nephew. The boy talked back and made it clear that he was going to be stubborn about the issue. As Gabrielli came up behind the boy suddenly flared out his spiritual pressure for that the wall exploded before taking off. The young female frowned after the boy. "So he's abandoning us to go back to Soul Society?"

"Just follow me. We're to take them alive." The man then found himself heading towards the place that he had felt his brother's reiatsu appear. Eventually they caught site of a group. Gabrielli spoke up rather quickly. "They're trying to kidnap his highness."

The next thing the man knew, one of the younger members of the Stern Ritter he had gathered suddenly shot of a shot towards the person holding onto Toshiro. Fighting quickly broke out and the man found himself crossing blades with his own brother. The silver haired man's pale teal eyes contained a lot of anger. "I swore if I ever saw you again that I would kill you."

"So I'm still having to put up with your childish antics?" The man let out a deep breath before shaking his head. "Really... I would have thought being away from us over a hundred years would have caused you to mature more then you have. Honestly, grow up."

"You shouldn't talk to me about growing up when you're the person who first took her away and now Shiro-chan." Gin practically spat the words out.

"I wouldn't have had to do that if you hadn't run away with that trollop."

"I hate you Schwarz."

The dark haired man let out a deep sigh. "Again Silbern, grow up."

The two paused in their motions when they felt the sudden influx of a Hollow's reiatsu. Both men felt their eyes widen as they saw a Hollow come out near where Toshiro was, only to knock the boy to the ground. Schwarz' muscles tightened in order to move away from his brother so that he could launch an arrow at the Hollow, only to find that his chest was slashed.

He felt himself falling to his knees just as Gin used the ability to move fast to get over to where the Hollow and Toshiro was. In the process he got between the creature and had an arm around the boy, only to be suddenly knocked over the edge. "That idiot."

This wasn't the end of the stupidity as a sudden black wave of reiatsu shot past everyone and towards the Hollow, slicing it in half. As it disintegrated, a sudden storm of ice and snow began to slide over the edge. He found himself standing up and heading over to where Gabrielli was now trying to strangle the substitute shinigami while the others were captured.

"Gabrielli... knock it off."

"We could have had a chance to rescue his highness, but this moron went and did something like that!"

"You'll take this moron with you down into the crevice to see if you can't dig the two that fell out."

The female's face twisted up. "Are you kidding me? He's a shinigami and this is _his_ fault."

"If it is my fault then I should be helping to fix it." Ichigo stated. "Plus, I _want_ to get Toshiro out of that mess so he can yell at me for it."

"Take the Quincy of their group as well, along with the few that aren't needed to transport the prisoners back."

"What the hell." The female glanced at the ground, realizing that she had said that to the wrong person. "I apologize sir, but they're the enemy."

"You may need them to help subdue the man that is with my nephew. I'm also trusting them to prevent any of you from killing that man because I have to get back and healed up."

"But he..."

"This isn't the first time he's injured me Gabrielli. The sooner you get down there the sooner you'll be able to get them out alive."

_Author's notes – I held off using "names" for Gin and Schwarz as long as possible... forty-five chapter without using "names", but I came to the point where I realized that when the brothers met they would be using each others names. Also, the question of why Gin's rieatsu showed up despite the fact Gin was trying to hide it will be explained the next chapter. At least I hope it will. I kind of hoped to explain it this chapter, but it is getting kind of long already._


	47. Icy Stakes

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Icy Stakes~_**

Toshiro found himself falling along with the other person. Because of this he was unable to use his flash step to prevent himself from crashing to the ground along with the person. He found himself on top of the person and he found himself twisting out of the man's grip and reaching for his blade which had also fallen down.

His bright teal eyes narrowed when he saw that the person who had rescued him was the silver haired man that he in truth did not trust. He narrowed his eyes before taking a deep breath. "Ichimaru Gin."

The man glanced up and attempted to push himself up, his mouth twisted up into a grin as well. The small taicho moved to place his blade at the man's throat, only to find himself looking up as a rumbling sound was heard. The boy found himself calling out to his zampaktuo and bringing an ice dragon to arch over them to create a cave like enclosure as the snow and ice cascaded down.

Some snow though fell on top of his legs and he found himself digging his legs out. As he pulled one out he heard the silver haired man move slightly. He pulled the other out and set his blade down so he could do some fire kido to light the place up. His eyes narrowed upon seeing that Gin was unable to push himself up as his left arm remained useless below him.

Toshiro found himself grabbing for his blade as he cupped the fire in his hand. He found himself moving forward and placing the blade against the man's throat. Ichimaru stopped moving to turn and look the boy in his face. The corner of his mouth twisted up. "So you would kill an injured man who is unable to defend himself Shiro-chan?"

The boy found his eyes suddenly widening and his mouth opening. "How do I know that you can't defend yourself. You are a former captain of the Gotei Thirteen and a very able warrior. A broken arm wouldn't hold you back."

"And what does killing me gain you?" The man snapped the words out. "You're not one to kill people without reason."

"Tells me how much you know me." The boy narrowed his eyes again. "While it is true that I wouldn't kill a person without a reason, I have a sadistic side that makes me completely fine with torturing someone to get what I want."

Gin raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying there is something you want from me?"

"You hurt oji-san." Toshiro pressed the blade suddenly against Gin's neck and watched as some ice formed. He watched as the man suddenly turned his head away. "What, you don't have anything to say?"

"I see that they've brainwashed you as I've feared." The man simply glanced away.

"Brainwashed me?" The boy snapped the words out. "You're the one who brainwashed Kurosaki and the others to bring them here."

"I did no such thing." The man grumbled. "You're the one whose been brainwashed by them."

"What the hell are you talking about!" Toshiro found his arms suddenly shake as he heard the man's words. "Why should I trust a psychopath like you? You've never done anything to earn my trust."

"Didn't I just save you from that hollow?"

The boy found himself suddenly swallowing. "You only did that because you need me alive."

"Why?" Gin suddenly glanced up.

Toshiro thought for awhile. "Because if you kidnap me you are guaranteed to start a war between Soul Soceity and the Vandenreich."

A sudden chuckle came from the man. "Why hadn't I thought of that? Oh, because the..."

The boy pressed the blade closer to his throat. "Don't. I don't know how you brainwashed Kurosaki, but if I kill you will he turn to normal."

Gin paused. "Except I didn't brainwash him. You're the one whose been brain washed."

"I am not brainwashed!"

"Then how do you explain how they've turned you into a weapon for themselves?"

"I'm _not_ a weapon!"

"You came after me didn't you."

"You weren't exactly very good at hiding your spiritual pressure Ichimaru!"

"That was an accident. My calculations for opening the gate were slightly off and..." The man paused. "If you aren't a weapon for them, then why did you come after me?"

"Because you are a psychopath who is blood thirsty and wouldn't hesitate in killing innocent people." Toshiro swallowed. "Or brainwashing the people I care about."

The silver haired man let out a deep sigh of relief before falling back into the snow bank. "So in other words your being your usual over protective self."

"And..." The boy took a deep breath.

Gin for some reason swallowed and remained silent. "Have you thought about how you can get out of this situation?"

The small boy let out a deep breath and watched as it disappeared. "No, but I don't think you would be any help."

"Then I'll ask another question. Would you be able to live with yourself if you killed me despite the fact you have no reason to? You know that killing me will do nothing to fix what happened to your uncle, nor will torturing me do anything except make you feel better for a short period of time. You know as well as I do that I know what I'm talking about here."

The boy found himself suddenly moving backwards so that he could lean his back against the snow. He set his blade down before letting out a deep breath. He continued to hold the kido steady, only to have Gin speak up. "You should be working on conserving your energy. Turn out that light as it is only going to deplete your energy."

"Sorry, but I can't trust you Ichimaru even if you are injured." The boy took a deep breath before digging his shoulder blades into the snow.

"You would also have to hands free to dig yourself out."

Toshiro glanced away. "I'm not taking advice from you. I also don't care how childish that seems to be. I don't like you."


	48. Into the Fire

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
~****_Into the Fire~_**

The small child found that Gin's advice about conserving energy had been right as he felt his eyes eventually begin to droop. Of course, this could also have been due to the fact he was getting cold despite having worn winter clothing. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes hoping that someone would come soon.

"_You could have taken his advice and dug yourself out_." The dragon's voice jarred the boy awak.e

"I can't trust him Hyorinmaru." Silence greeted him for a few minutes before a rather weak voice spoke up.

"Shiro-chan, you said that out loud."

The boy found himself swallowing and closing his eyes. His stomach suddenly grumbled and he placed his free hand over his stomach. His lips felt cold and he found himself licking them. He closed his eyes before letting out a cough. He felt his hand suddenly drop to the ground as he released the rieatsu. As he swallowed, he thought he could hear the sound of scrapping.

"_You can hear it. Open your eyes._" The boy's eyes snapped open and he put up the fire again, blinking a couple of times before scooting over to the place he saw a hole appearing.

"Hey, Toshiro. Are you all right? What about Ichimaru Gin?"

"Kurosaki?" Toshiro found himself crawling over. "I'm exhausted, so I may have received an injury when we fell. He's worse off then me, but I held off killing him." There was a bit of silence. "Is something the matter."

"No. We're going to get you out of there. You got it Toshiro."

"It's Hitsugaya." The boy closed his eyes and began to breath a sigh of relief when the Quincy companion spoke up.

"Are you a moron Kurosaki? He asked you if something was the matter and you couldn't tell him that most of our group has been taken to who knows where as prisoners while you and I have remained with a small group in order to help dig him out."

"Ahh... yeah. I kind of forgot about that because I was worried about him." The hole slowly began to widen and finally Ichigo was able to pull himself into the small cave. He glanced up. "I'm really sorry about this. Its kind of my fault that the whole thing came crashing down on you guys. Good thing you used Hyorinmaru when you did."

Toshiro let out a deep sigh. "I want out of this place. You being in here only makes things even more claustrophobic."

A few hands reached to pull him out as the boy licked his lips again despite the fact his tongue was dry. He looked up to see Gabrielli looking at him. "I take it that a lot of people are pretty angry at me right now."

The female helped him to a standing position. "Get that other person onto a gurney."

"Gabrielli..." The boy frowned at her. "What is going to happen to Kurosaki and the others?"

"I don't know. His majesty isn't known for taking things lying down." The older female turned to look at him. "You're honestly worried about their fate despite the fact they tried to harm you?"

"I don't know about Ichimaru Gin, but I don't think the others intentions were to cause me harm." Toshiro glanced at the ground. "This is particularly true when it comes to Kurosaki, though he can be an idiot at times."

"I heard that Toshiro." The substitute shinigami came out of the cave and stood up.

"I am not understanding why he calls you by your first name. Particularly after you obviously objected to him doing so. I could punish him now if you want me too."

"No!" The boy raised his hands up. "He has a bad habit of speaking to others in an informal manner."

"Then I'll cure him of that bad habit right now as I do not like him." The female made to step closer to Ichigo only to have Toshiro step in between them.

"No!" The boy frowned at her. "I said it was fine that he calls me by my first name. The whole bit about me correcting him... I don't do it because I'm correcting it."

Ichigo suddenly reached out to ruffle Toshiro's head. "What he is trying to say is he finds it amusing."

"Yeah, but someone should correct you of that bad habit of calling people by their first names Kurosaki." Uryu came out and pushed his glasses up. "I'm guessing you will be taking us prisoner now as well."

"I don't have any choice in the matter." Gabrielli turned towards Toshiro. "Can you walk?"

The boy narrowed his bright teal eyes. "I'm _not_ a child."

The orange haired teen raised his eyebrows. "Take it from me, don't push the issue. My calling him by his first name is a joke. Call him a kid or call him short and you'll have officially pissed him off."

The female with the dual colored hair simply glared before him. "Well, we are off."

**M**

Schwarz watched as the person in charge of the infirmary finished bandaging his chest. "Now that I've finished your highness, care to feel me in."

"They should hopefully be bringing me nephew in to see you soon along with..." The man found his words interrupted when a man suddenly stuck his head in through the door frame. "What is it?"

"The young highness has been brought into his majesties court along with the three prisoners."

The dark haired man suddenly darted up, only to have a female grab his arm. "Now you listen to me, you shouldn't be moving about as fast as you are. You stay here."

"Why wasn't my nephew brought here or the other person he was buried in the avalanche with."

"The silver haired man was rather uncooperative once we got him near here and the young highness wished to see how your father would deal with the prisoners that were just brought in."

The man's eyes suddenly widened. "I have to make sure that nothing bad comes of this."

"Your highness..."

The man paused as the woman continued to tug on his arm. "The silver haired man is Silbern. My nephew knows what his relationship with the Shinigami is, but he doesn't know what his relationship with us is."

"Silbern?" The woman's face suddenly turned white. "If he is injured he's going to be like a wounded animal!"

"Which is the other reason I need to go. My brother has some issues."

"Your brother sir?" The solider blinked a couple of times. "You mean he is Lady Bambietta and Lord Toshiro's father."

"Yes, but _don't_ tell either one that as they don't know as of yet."


	49. Sight for Eyes

**Of Birthdays and Siblings**

_**~Sight for Eyes~**_

Things were fine at first as the group headed back to the ice palace. Gin's injuries caused him to be slightly unaware of what was going on and Uryu and Ichigo allowed brackets to be placed upon them. When they got right outside of the ice palace that Gin became more aware of what was going on and attempted to fight back despite his injuries.

Toshiro was about to head through the door when he first heard Gin's protests despite the fact they made no sense. The next thing he heard as he turned to look at the man was the man's arm breaking further as the Stern Ritter attempted to drag him inside. The next thing he knew some of the older ones hurried forward and somehow managed to bring the man in to his grandfather's court.

"Take the Substitute Shinigami and the Quincy down to the jail cells, I will deal with them later." Juhabach crossed his legs. "How are you feeling child?" The small white haired boy glanced around trying to figure out who the man was referring to only to jump when his name was said. "I'm referring to you."

"Oh... I'm not a child though." Toshiro frowned. "I'm fine."

"Despite the fact you feel as far as you did?" Juhabach placed a hand on his chin.

"Shut up you bastard!" Gin's rieatsu suddenly flared out and caused the white haired child to side step.

"I take it the reason Toshiro has so few injuries is because you intervened and got yourself injured instead?" The man spoke to the silver haired man as if he was a child.

"It is _none_ of your business!" Spittle came out of Gin's mouth as he continued to glare at the man.

"None of my..."

"It is his business as he is my grandfather Ichimaru." Toshiro looked down at the man only to have the man give him a venomous look. He could also feel the tension grow.

"I told you that he brainwashed you!"

The boy found himself frowning. "_I don't remember him being __this__ insane._" He opened his mouth. "I've told you..."

"Toshiro..." Juhabach looked at his grandson in a gentle manner. When Toshiro gave him a startled look. "While I appreciate the fact that you are standing up for me, you don't yet know how things work around here. Nor do you understand what you' re getting yourself into." He raised an eyebrow as the boy puffed out his cheeks. "Is something bothering you?"

"You say that I don't know what I'm getting myself into, but what do you know of Ichimaru Gin? He's dangerous." The boy felt the tension increase and realized that it was for some reason coming from the elder members of the Stern Ritter.

"And why is that?" The man shifted his position so that his hands were folded. "I know that Ichimaru Gin is a former captain of the Gotei Thirteen. I know that he turned traitor against Soul Society and you've had to fight to protect those you care about from him. I don't fault you for worrying about us due to your past experience with this man."

The boy felt the tension grow again and felt the eyes of the elders on him. "_I've done something wrong, but I don't know what._"

"Step aside for now child." Toshiro let out a deep sigh as he complied to the man's words. He then watched the court as it progressed.

Gabrielli stepped next to him. "If its any consolation I seem to know less then you do about why the elders are reacting in such a negative manner to your words."

"Let him go." Juhabach suddenly stood up.

"But your majesty..." One of the elders holding onto Gin suddenly spoke up. "He's likely to attack you with the mood he's in."

"Let him."

Toshiro frowned and swallowed. He turned to Gabrielli. "Obviously they know Ichimaru is a danger."

"I don't think that's it though." The female grabbed his shoulder. "I'm hoping I don't have to get you out of here."

Rather reluctantly the elders let go of Gin and backed away rather quickly. There came another fluctuation rieatsu and the silver haired man suddenly launched himself at Juhabach only to have the man grab the silver head of hair and slam it to the ground. "All you are is an insolent pup."

Gin's hand went to his blade and he brought it up. "_Kamishini no Yari_._" _Another increase in spiritual pressure was heard as the man brought it up to his chest area using the one hand. Juhabach startled for a bit and began to move away as the silver haired man said something. The next thing everyone knew the blade was piercing the leader of the Vandenreich in the shoulder and shooting up through the roof before retracting.

Juhabach moved away and looked at him with disgust. "I am guess that is your Bankai? It doesn't seem to do much more then what your shikai does boy."

The silver haired man moved away and suddenly held up his hand. "_Korose, Kamishini no Yari._"

"And what was that supposed to do?" The man suddenly moved forward and slammed Gin into the ground as the same manner before. Juhabach narrowed his eyes at Gin. "Apparently it was supposed to do something more and you're surprised that it didn't?"

Toshiro watched as Gin suddenly turned to look at him. He could see the fear in the man's eyes, something he had never seen before. This was quickly replaced with a look of determination and the silver haired man went nuts again and began to use his energy to push himself away and begin to use his legs in an offensive manner. The cracking of more bones could be heard.

It was then that his uncle came hurrying into the room. "Father! If you don't stop you'll kill him!"

Juhabach paused in his movement as he held Gin up. "You are a stubborn brat aren't you?" He then dropped Gin and dealt a blow that caused the silver haired man to crumple to the ground unconscious while Toshiro's uncle hurried forward to grab him along with the infirmary nurse. "I trust that you'll patch him up and place him under appropriate restraint so the fool won't be able to hurt himself anymore?"

"Understood your majesty." A few of the elders hurried to take Gin from the two and the woman then came over to Toshiro. "If you don't mind your highness, I would like to see you as well to make sure that there aren't any serious injuries."

"I'm..." The answer the white haired child wished to give was suddenly interrupted by a fit of coughing.

Gabrielli spoke up. "Apologies if I hurt your pride by saying this your highness, but you are not fine like you say you are. You've been coughing since we dug you out."

"Go Toshiro." Juhabach stated. Toshiro found himself glancing up, only to find himself unable to look the man in the eye.

"_That seemed harsh even for Ichimaru Gin. I don't want to get on the bad side of grandfather. Actually, I don't want to know what my punishment for taking off will be._"


	50. Numbing

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_~Numbing~_**

Toshiro followed the woman and his uncle back to the infirmary. He found himself ushered to sit down before letting out another coughing fit. The boy glanced over at his uncle and saw that the bandages his uncle had around his injury were beginning to soak through. "Uncle?"

The man glanced up, the corners of his mouth twisting up. "Don't worry."

"Don't worry?" The woman placed her hands on her hips. "I told you not to move, but you had to go running off because you heard there was a commotion going on in the throne room your highness. You may be royalty, but lets face the fact that your royal status does not make you immortal."

The white haired boy stared at his uncle, only to suddenly find a finger thrust in front of his nose. "That also goes for you, your highness. You need to learn to take better care of yourself. You are still quite young and our people would be devastated if we lost you."

"I never asked for that." Toshiro spoke up, only to go into another coughing fit.

The woman let out a deep sigh before waving one of her helpers over. "Could you look at this young man while I re-bandage his highness' wounds."

Schwarz took a deep breath before standing up and closing the curtain. "Actually, it would be better if you take care of him while this young lady takes care of my wounds. This child isn't very trusting of other people and since he's already had you look over him it is best that you handle him."

The woman frowned before turning to Toshiro. One hand reached up to touch his forehead. "You don't have a fever, but your body temperature is freezing cold."

"I'm used to that."

"Excuse me."

Toshiro glanced over his shoulder at his blade. "I have an ice zampaktuo. Hyorinmaru is an ice dragon to be exact."

"That doesn't make you immune to its effects. All it does is make it so that you feel the effects later then everyone else. Now lift up your shirt, or do I have to lift it myself."

The boy at first stared at her before lifting the shirt up. "You're like Unohana. You don't take no from your patients. I don't think it is a good idea to get on your bad side."

"Really..." The woman let out a deep sigh.

"By the way, how is Ichimaru doing?"

"Who?" The woman paused as she listened to his lungs with the stethascope.

"He's the man grandfather was thrashing."

"You mean..." The woman paused. "Right now he's under sedation and a few of my helpers are working on his injuries. He'll survive though."

"That wouldn't surprise me. He's always been stubborn like that."

"I'm curious... you speak of him as if you are interested, but the way you speak of him seems to be... how to put it, as if you don't really know him."

"The only person he let himself get close to was my fukutaicho. He's... I don't know how to put it. He's not normal." The boy glanced at the ground.

"You've coughed a dozen times at least since you got here. I'm going to give you some medicine that needs to be made into a tea and I want you to get plenty of rest." She watched as Toshiro frowned at her. "I'll have some reading material brought from his majesties library for you to read. Resting is not an option, though if you need to stretch your muscles you can walk around the room a bit. But mostly you need to rest as you are ill."

Toshiro's cheeks began to puff out in irritation and he suddenly felt her pinching them. "Apologies your majesty. While those here in Vandienreich may spoil you children, when it comes to your well being we will not. It doesn't matter how cute you look pouting like that too."

The boy found himself chocking back the sudden indignation that he felt. However, this caused him to go into another coughing fit. The curtain pulled aside slightly. "Can I take him back to his quarters?"

"But..."

"Both of you take it slow and both of you rest. Do you understand me? The healers orders trumps that of even royalty."

Toshiro felt the sleeve of his shirt gently tugged and he stood up and followed the man. They slowly walked along. "What is going to happen to everyone who came thinking they were rescuing me?" The man remained silent. "Uncle?"

"Who knows. His majesty has a temper as you can see." They arrived in the room and Toshiro felt his uncle tugging on his clothing.

"I can take care of it myself." However, this led to a coughing fit.

"Really?" The man sighed as he went to the closet.

"You'll open up your injury." Toshiro swallowed. "You'll get yelled at again. If its a yukata I can just slip it on after I slip off my clothing."

"True... and you do seem to prefer wearing that kind of clothing." The man pulled a heavier one while the boy pulled his clothing off. He turned to look at Toshiro, only to find himself flinching at the scars he saw on the child's body. As he did this the boy glanced up and his bright teal eyes went wide and his cheeks flushed up. Schwarz looked away and let out a deep sigh. "Sorry little one."

"I..." There was a silence and then Toshiro spoke up again. "It's safe to look."

The man turned around. "Are you uncomfortable because you don't want people to see those scars you have?"

"Not particularly. It's part of the problem. My body's small and I have the muscle definition of a little kid rather then one of my own age."

"Do you even know how the body of someone your age needs to look?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The man let out a sigh and went to the door and asked for someone to bring hot water. "How much time to you spend with others your age."

"I don't know. People tend to stare for some reason or another."

"Sorry that I asked. Just lie down and I'll wake you when the tea is ready."

"As if I could sleep without it."


	51. Sleeping Problems

**Of Birthdays and Siblings  
****_Sleeping Problems~_**

The man watched as his nephew fidgeted under the sheets. A knock came at the door and the man went and opened it, taking the tea pot from the man and carrying it inside along with the cup. He carefully poured some of the medicine into the cup before pouring the warm water over it. He glanced up and saw that Toshiro was looking at him.

"You should drink this." He watched as the boy sat up before going and sitting on the edge of the bed. He watched as Toshiro took the cup and attempted to down the entire cup, only to have a coughing fit. He let out a deep breath. "You don't have to rush it."

"The medicine tastes horribly though." The boy swallowed the rest. The man then watched as the boy settled before pulling the sheets up to the boy's chin and brushing a few stray hairs away from his forehead. He then stood up and darkened the room. He left the room and headed to the prison area of the ice castle.

"Hey, how's Toshiro doing?"

The comment from the Substitute Shinigami caused the man to turn and look at the orange haired Shinigami. Schwarz took a deep breath. "Are you really in a position to be asking such questions?"

"Are Quincy always this stuck up? I honestly don't get why you guys have divided into sides like you have."

The man let out a deep sigh. "What I meant is that you're not in a position to be worrying about others when you should at this point be worrying about yourself. However, I will tell you that the boy is resting in his quarters and after some rest will be fine. Now if you don't mind, I am here to visit my brother."

The man walked past the cell and down into a deeper part of the prison until he came to an open door. The woman from the infirmary was scowling as he stepped into the room. "You should be resting and not aggravating that injury of yours."

"How is my brother?"

"Silbern? He'll live. That's just the way he's always been." The woman folded her arms across her chest. "However, I believe you want to know what his condition is. I don't like chaining him up in a prison cell like this in a manner that he can pull one of his joints out of place, but this is the only way to restrain him in this room as we can't put him in a straight jacket with that cast of his."

"There is no way he can easily move though."

"As if we would give him a way that he can attack one of the guards. I wish we had a restraining board down here, but to there is no way to attach it to the wall and... well, you should know better then anyone else how your brother is."

"Yes... he's always been a rather problematic child." Schwarz watched as there was a flicker of movement coming from the silver haired figure and then suddenly the man's face looked up at him, a look of disgust in his blood shot eyes. "I see that you're awake."

"What have you done to Shiro-chan?" The man's words came out in a rough fashion and spit went every which way.

"Your son is in bed resting."

"Oh really..." A smirk suddenly played across the man's fate. "Baka..."

"You're not exactly one to be talking about me being an idiot." The man folded his arms across his chest. "I was nice enough to come down here to tell you how he was doing, and this is the thanks I get. Or do you not want to know how your son is doing."

Gin frowned. "Disgusting pig."

"How mature. Talk like an adult, you are one now. Or do I need to treat you like a child?" The man narrowed his eyes. This caused the silver haired man to let out a tirade of curse words and moving about in a manner that could hurt himself. "Sedate him before he hurts himself."

"Understood. Someone is going to have to keep an eye on him twenty-four seven."

"I'll talk to father about having him moved to..."

"It's his highness who decided on doing this. I suggest not."

Schwarz let out a deep sigh, his eyes narrowing at the man in front of him. "Really though Silbern..." The man reached out to touch the other man's cheek only to have Gin flinch away. '"Things aren't as bad as you're making them out to be. You need to learn to relax, go with the flow of things."

"That is as much of a psychopath as I am. You and I both know it. It's where I get it from."

The dark haired twin shook his head before heading out and leaving the man to his own devices. He then headed to the study and close the door behind him. "What took you so long?"

"I had to see to some things."

"Take a break Schwarz. Your brother played rough with you and you need to relax. Have you heard from your brother yet? Have you been to visit him? I heard they've managed to move him to a cell after they treated his injuries."

"Isn't it a bit cruel to chain him up like that?"

"Your brother can escape from medical restraints. It's for his own good, his own safety that I'm doing this."

The younger dark haired man tilted his head away so he couldn't see the leader of the Vandenreich. "What is your grandson going to think of you if he finds out his father is Silbern and that you've practically beaten him up. The man then moved towards the bookshelf. "I should probably take the boy some books to read. If he's anything like his father he won't be able to stay still unless he's given something to do."

"On one side I wish to ask you how the boy is doing, but should I be more concerned with the fact you're ignoring your own injuries."

"How can I myself sit still when my nephew is ill and my own father beat up my twin brother, before locking him away like an animal."

"You know as well as I what kind of a person your brother is. He would have kept coming at me if I had just let the guards subdue him and he could have easily have slipped their grasps and killed some of them even with the injuries he had when he was brought in. As I also said, chaining him up isn't just for his safety but his as well. Just as a wild animal will attack ferociously, those around it will attack it back and the animal will also become injured."

"How kind of you." Schwarz pulled a book off the shelf.

"Eventually we'll need to tell Toshiro the truth though, so I'm going to have you go and get his mother and bring her here."

This caused the younger dark haired man to almost drop the books he had. "Are you crazy? Kidnapping her will cause an outright war if we didn't have one before!"

"As if I care if we start a war with the shinigami." The man narrowed his eyes at his son. "However, if you are so concerned with not starting a war despite our past then let her leave a letter. She can return after Christmas is over. Let her spend some time with her children as it is the holidays. It would be a nice gift for the children, don't you think."

Schwarz narrowed his eyes at the man. "On top of the fact you aren't typically this kind, I will not have anything to do with that woman."

"I'm giving you an order Schwarz." The leader of the Vandenreich narrowed his eyes as the door to the study crept open. "Not to mention that boy is attached to that woman, so you'll bring her here."

"That woman is that woman." The door to the study slowly opened even more. "I don't care what you say, she's a downright whore!"

"Uncle?"

Schwarz almost dropped the books again as he turned to look at the boy. "You're supposed to be asleep! I saw you drink all of your medicine!"

"I woke up and saw that you weren't there. Your injury... I felt for your rieatsu." A frown spread across Toshiro's face. "Who is this woman you talk of?"

Schwarz suddenly paled. "Nobody."

"Grandfather said something about me being attached to her and bringing her here."

"What other woman are you close to?" The king of the Vandenreich leaned forward, a smile on his face as he watched the boy. "Of course, there is likely quite a few, so I'll narrow it down for you. She's of your division back in Soul Society."

"My fukutaicho?"

"Yes."

Toshiro's eyes suddenly went wide and his rieatsu flared out, causing him to suddenly fall as his legs gave out. His uncle hurried forward to grab the boy, only to have the child push him away. The boy suddenly went into a coughing fit. The man tried to touch his shoulder lightly. "We really need to get you back to your room."

"I believe that you just called my fukutaicho a whore. What ever did she do to deserve that comment?"

"You weren't even supposed to be listening in on our conversation! You're supposed to be in bed!"

"_Why_ did you call her a whore!" Another coughing fit came on. "Why!"

"There is nothing good about that woman!"

A few wet tears suddenly fell on Toshiro's hand. "Nothing good about her! Nothing..."

"Calm down!"

"If it weren't for Matsumoto I'd likely be dead."

Schwarz's hand paused a few inches away from the boy's shoulder. "What do you mean by that?"

"She's the reason I ended up going to the academy."

"How is going to the academy a good thing! The shinigami turned you into a tool!"

Toshiro wrapped his arms around his chest as he tried to hold back another coughing fit. "If I hadn't gone into the academy I would have killed my granny and had no one! I would have been out on the streets trying to find food and I would have also been hunted down! So what if the shingiami have used me as a tool! At least I was useful, and I learned to control this god awful power of mine."

"You got your powers from your grandmother, so don't..."

"The only good thing about my powers is Hyorinamaru! And Matsumoto. She's _always _been there."

Schwarz let out a deep breath. "I apologize for calling her a whore. I take back what I said. I honestly had a reason for calling her that mind you that I can't tell you about right now, but I honestly didn't know she did all of that for you. So she really did take care of you after she found you in the Rukongai."

Toshiro's body began to shake. "She did. So please don't bring her here.'

"But don't you want to see her?" Juhabach raised an eyebrow.

"No. I mean, I do want to see her." The boy quickly bowed to the ground. "Please don't take away her freedom."

Schwarz picked the boy up, only to have him completely collapse in his arms from exhaustion. He turned to the man. "I re-voice not bringing _that_ woman here, but for different reasons. The last thing you need is to upset the boy."

"He needs her Schwarz. She's likely to be the only one able to control him while he's sick like this. So just do it."


End file.
